“Survival of the fittest” refers to those who are able to adjust their behavior or structure in order to better adapt to their environment. Thus, “fittest” indicates internal ability and willingness to change in order to survive in one's environment rather than using aggression in facing these challenges. When applying this theory to social and political systems, we find that Saudi Arabia's government is among the “fittest” because it has developed an internal mechanism to evolve and adapt to its surrounding to “become more suited to its environment”. Since the dawn of the 21st century, Saudi Arabia has faced new challenges, such as terrorism, political unrest and instability in the Arab world, in addition to the need for reform by a fast changing culture affected by globalization, multiculturalism, and an increasingly educated youth. This has led some analysts to wonder if Saudi Arabia would be able to survive in such volatile times. Facing these challenges required reform, which has been inevitable, but as Saudi Arabia argued over the past decade, change and reform could not be forced because that would lead to chaos and instability. Instead, it must occur from within and more importantly according to the country's readiness for change in order to achieve the desired outcome. For the past 10 years, the speed of development and progress seemed to increase in the Kingdom and over the past few months, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, has moved progress and reform in Saudi Arabia at an even faster rate than anyone had anticipated in fighting terrorism, corruption and discrimination as well as in utilizing the skills and expertise of our educated youth in higher positions. To begin with, King Salman has asserted Saudi Arabia's position as a rising power in the region that can defend its own borders and neighboring countries through “Decisive Storm”. In addition, in the last month alone, extreme measures were taken in three different incidents against discrimination and discriminatory remarks to deter anyone from discriminating against or insulting others due to their religious or ethnic backgrounds regardless of the position or family of the aggressors. Moreover, the King destroyed the myth of immunity that ministers in the past were assumed to have by holding them accountable for their actions, which resulted in unprecedented reshuffles and changes in the past few months. Recent appointments by King Salman have made headlines nationally and internationally mainly because of the relatively young age of most of those appointed, which could be partly intended to reinvigorate the youth and further revitalize the country. This is especially the case in the choice of the Crown Prince, Muhammad Bin Naif and the Deputy Crown Prince, Muhammad Bin Salman. Moreover, the appointment of the former Ambassador to the US, Adel Al-Jubair as the first non-royal serving as a foreign minister has created a new hope for a “Saudi dream”, with Mr. Al-Jubair as the representation of educated Saudi youth who can hold positions that were once thought to be unattainable. He was appointed after Prince Saud Al-Faisal asked to be relieved of his duties for reasons of health after serving the nation honorably for 40 years. Anyone following Prince Saud would have big shoes to fill, but Mr. Adel Al-Jubair should be able to prove his worth in this position with his fluency in three languages and expertise in foreign affairs. He has been a diplomat since he was 24 years old. He earned his bachelor and master degrees in the US, was appointed Director of the Saudi Information and Congressional Affairs office in Washington in 2000 and was named Foreign Affairs Adviser in the Crown Prince's Court in the fall of 2000. One of the many achievements of the late King Abdullah was in the field of education. According to the Ministry of Higher Education in its introduction of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program: “Knowledge is the foundation of the renaissance of nations; for this reason, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given special attention to this sector”. King Salman has built on this knowledge with his bold decisions and wise actions, which make us hope that this is truly the beginning of our renaissance! — The writer can be reached at [email protected]
