The Saudis tiptoe into the 20th Century

The New York Times has an editorial about Saudi Arabia:

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia deserves credit for his long overdue decision to give women the right to vote, to run in municipal elections and to be appointed as full voting members of the Majlis al-Shura, a government advisory group. It is a first step toward moving his country into the modern world but not nearly enough.
The list of fundamental rights still denied to Saudi women is long and shameful. Men— their fathers or husbands— control whether they can travel, work, receive health care, attend school, or start a business. Women are banned from driving.
Even after the announcement, women will not be able to vote and run for municipal elections until 2015— even though there is an election scheduled for next week— and they will need the approval of a male family member to exercise either right.
The King is undoubtedly trying to head off a push for more forceful changes inspired by pro-democracy movements in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. In March, when Saudi activists called for protests, he responded by barring demonstrations and announcing nearly $130 billion in public spending. But the King also considers himself a reformer. To really prove that, he is going to have to stop pandering to ultraconservative members of the royal family and extremist Wahhabi clerics who are determined to keep Saudi women in shackles.
Laws must be changed to provide greater protections for women who are raped or suffer domestic abuse. The archaic ban on driving by women also must be lifted. In June, some Saudi women held a high-profile right-to-drive campaign (photo) that resulted in dozens of arrests. Those cases should be dropped.
One area where Saudi women are making strides is in education. But, while they are over fifty percent of the college graduates, they are only fourteen percent of the work force. What possible future can Saudi Arabia have when half the population is not allowed to participate fully in the economy or civic life?

Rico says it be funnier if it weren't so sad...