I've admitted that dealing with Saudi Arabia must eventually be a part of our war on terror. Realism prevents us from doing anything radical, of course, given Saudi Arabia's oil production.
So this is good news if it bears fruit. King Abdullah is attempting to reform at the expense of the jihadis:
By sidelining the traditional clergy in favor of the merchant classes and more progressive religious voices, Abdullah has been challenging the "great bargain" of the Saudi state – namely the empowerment of the Wahhabi ulema (hard-line Islamic scholars) in exchange for their sanction of the House of Saud.
Even in the context of a war on terror that will last decades, this movement is slow. Perhaps too slow. But it is movement in the right direction, and once moving, the speed could very well pick up.
