The crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has embarked on the social and economic renewal of Saudi Arabia, launching a national program known as Vision 2030 and announcing $500 billion to build a city of the future, Neom. Social changes looked promising: Gender segregation was easing up as women were granted attendance to sporting events, and the kingdom adopted an official goal for women to make up 30 percent of the workforce. Then last month, the kingdom escalated its crackdown on activists just weeks before rules allowing women to drive were implemented. Will the conservative and clerical class stand in the way of the crown prince and his claim to be a liberalizing reformer?