"Scaling Back: Saudi Arabia's Shrinking Vision 2030 Projects"

Saudi Arabia's Neom project, a key component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 plan, is facing financial concerns as the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund has yet to approve Neom's budget for 2024. The trillion-dollar investments in Vision 2030, particularly Neom, have raised alarms within the government, leading to delays and pullbacks in some projects. Ethical concerns have also been raised about the megacity, including worries about surveillance and strict rules around criticizing the project.