Here the story begins!

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never been a marginal country in political and economic equations. Its presence has remained influential in its regional and international surroundings, and its influence has extended to issues beyond the borders of the Middle East. This presence was not a matter of controversy in the past or present, and indicators confirm its continuation in the future. What is new today is the breadth of the scope of this influence and the diversity of its tools. The Kingdom's image was long associated with oil and energy markets, and then the image of an economy that built new sources of power, production, and influence began to take shape alongside them.

Here the story begins. The rise of states goes beyond changing their internal situations, and extends to rearranging the calculations of regional and international powers. The more a country advances in the fields of investment, industry, technology, tourism, and services, the more its ability to compete expands, and the map of economic interests changes with it. In a world where opportunities are not equally distributed, the success of one party may be a source of concern to another party that is accustomed to maintaining its position without competition.

Saudi Arabia is no longer satisfied with being a large market that receives products and investments. It is now working to consolidate its position as a center for producing value, attracting capital and talent, and localizing knowledge and technologies. The impact of this transformation even extended to the region's supply chains, trade, and investment flows. In light of this, new economic opportunities were formed, and with them the calculations of competition and centers of attraction changed.

Economic history tells us that major transformations do not pass without resistance from external parties, especially when new ambitions intersect with the interests of powers that have been accustomed to stable economic and political balances for decades. As a result, when the centers of economic gravity change, interests, expectations, and alliances change with them, and traditional positions face a new reality that forces recalculations. The changing balance of the economy may bother some people, and others may not like the emergence of new centers of gravity, investment, and influence, but history does not depend on the desires of those who fear change, just as economic progress does not require the approval of other countries, nor does it need everyone to agree with its ambition.

What is happening in the Kingdom is not a race to build major projects alone, but rather an attempt to reformulate the relationship between natural resources and productive capacity, between government spending and private investment, and between the present created by oil revenues and the future that should be created by knowledge, efficiency and innovation. This is a legitimate right for the Kingdom to shape its economic future, regardless of who likes this transformation or is uncomfortable with it.