30/01/2026
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30/01/2026
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Around the world, governments are revisiting ambitions set during years of cheap capital and optimistic growth. Large infrastructure programs, futuristic cities, and long-horizon energy projects are being reassessed as financial and geopolitical conditions tighten. This shift should not be mistaken for retreat. In public policy, strength is not measured by how long a decision endures, but by its ability to adapt to changing realities.
Review reflects institutional maturity and recognition that major choices are shaped by conditions that rarely remain static. Recent discussion surrounding Saudi Arabia’s reassessment of some mega-projects fits within this global recalibration, even as some initiatives may, in hindsight, have carried overly ambitious assumptions from the outset.
Such projects depend on expectations about stable capital flows, sustained demand, affordable financing, and manageable risk. When these assumptions change, adjustment becomes a strategic necessity. The deeper obstacle in many systems lies in a culture of stubbornness, where decisions become symbols of prestige that cannot be revisited even when costs outweigh benefits or feasibility erodes.
This mindset drains resources, weakens public trust, and widens the gap between rhetoric and reality. Today’s environment differs fundamentally from a decade ago. Financial conditions have tightened, risk is being repriced, and investor appetite for long-term uncertainty is declining. Strong states reassess early, protect credibility, and keep strategy responsive in a volatile world.
By Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri
