Dance raves in, dissent out as Saudi Arabia's crown prince dictates new social order

The Times: Essential news from the L.A. Times

Something unexpected is going on in traditionally conservative Saudi Arabia.

Over the last few years, the kingdom has been announcing a loosening of social restrictions at a surprising rate. Movie theaters are reopening, new professional opportunities for women are popping up and the country is hosting Western-style music festivals.

It’s all part of a plan by the country’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who says he wants to dramatically transform his country.

Today, how the prince’s push comes with a price: While dancing in Saudi Arabia might be in these days, political dissent is still most definitely out. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Middle East bureau chief Nabih Bulos

More reading:

Dancing is in, dissent is out as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince transforms his country

Saudi Arabia is giving itself an extreme makeover with ‘giga-projects.’ Will it work?

Saudis sentence U.S. citizen to 16 years over tweets