2018 Annual Forecast　(15)

2018年の予測 (15)

The Saudi Survival Strategy 
As Saudi Arabia grapples with its rivals abroad, it will also have to wrestle with tricky reforms at home. Though all GCC states will have to undertake tough reforms in the year ahead, Saudi Arabia's are the biggest and most ambitious. At the heart of the domestic policy changes underway will be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will wield his newfound power to advance his sweeping agenda. The young leader will try to make good on his promises of aggressive economic reform, aiming to boost non-oil revenue through taxes and investment profits, stimulate private-sector growth and nationalize the kingdom's labor force. 

grapples：【問題などに】取り組む ≪with≫ .
wrestle：【問題などに[と]】(真剣に)取り組む, 格闘する ≪with≫
underway ：〈事が〉進行中で, 始まって
nationalize：を全国に拡大[展開]する, 国家[国民]的なものにする.

Mohammed bin Salman's Powers



Saudi Arabia cannot afford to put off these tough economic reforms any longer, and its citizens will soon see tangible signs of painful, if necessary, change. To balance its budget, Riyadh will have little choice but to enact new taxes and proceed with the planned partial initial public offering of the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., which will provide much-needed capital for the kingdom's future investments. (The IPO is currently set for 2018, but it may be pushed back.) As prices on everyday goods like fuel rise, popular dissatisfaction could rise with them. The government will be responsive to its people's demands, revising some targets if they are deemed too aggressive. Thanks in part to such attentiveness and flexibility, as well as a willingness to boost its capital investment next year, the kingdom will reach several of its goals — including an uptick in non-oil revenue. 

put off：事を延期する, 先延ばしにする
if necessary：必要ならば
pushed back：延期する、先送りする
attentiveness：注意深い, 熱心に注意を向ける, 慎重な

Some of Saudi Arabia's economic objectives require bold changes in social behavior that will take time to encourage. Eventually, Salman intends to design a new social contract that adjusts what citizens expect of their government, and vice versa. In the meantime, however, the kingdom will take notable strides toward that contract. Riyadh will likely grant women the right to drive in June 2018, and new entertainment opportunities will crop up throughout the year. The crown prince will preface each step with tentative announcements of the measures ahead to gauge the public's reaction and to fulfill his pledge of maintaining transparency. Though the country's conservative clerics will try to stand in the way of reform by appealing to an older demographic that is wary of the prince's aggressive reforms, young Saudis will increasingly embrace Salman's vision for the kingdom's future. 

encourage：を励ます, 勇気づける
strides：進歩, 発展
crop up：表面に現れる, 露出する
preface：のきっかけ[発端]となる.
pledge：誓約, 固い[重要な]約束(promise); 公約 
wary：用心深い, 慎重な(careful)


The Importance of Saudi Reform





サウジのサルマンは石油価格が低迷しているので、国家財政を立て直すために、様々な改革を行っている。アラムコの上場、女性の運転の許可、新たな娯楽情報の解放などを行うだけでなく、課税体制の見直し、非石油事業からの収益の増加を期待し、投資の促進、民間企業の収益の向上、労働力の有効な活用を行う。財政引き締めによる国民の不満を注意深く見守りながら、改革は透明性を持って進めている。そのため、過激すぎないように、訂正しながら改革を推進している。

火曜日。ではまた明日。

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