Additionally, to the best of my knowledge there are no political parties (as we would define them) existent in the Kingdom.
And as you said, it’s most likely a response to a lot of external criticism from many parts of the world.
On the other hand, I knew some Saudis in Berlin....the men were complaining that their wives were henpecking them, and there was nothing they could do about it. It reminds me of the classical stereotype that all Asian women are submissive to their husbands......yeah, right. More like the iron talon in the velvet glove, at least in my experiences in the Far East.
You are right about asian women. They rule the roost.