Saudi Arabia is attempting an image upgrade. During the Arab Spring, the merest hint that unrest could migrate to the world’s second largest oil producer triggered a brutal crackdown. Demos were outlawed and tighter restrictions were placed on the media.

But the kingdom has just removed the more extreme Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Humain as head of the religious police and on the global stage, withdrawn Arab League monitors from Syria and urged more international effort to end the bloodshed after Russia and China vetoed a UN-backed Arab League peace plan.