Although the Saudi ruling family, the al-Saud, is under enormous pressure to follow the example of its neighbors, internal resistance to doing so remains very strong. So the al-Saud have become Janus-faced: looking in one direction, the royal family encourages democratic reformers to speak out; looking in the opposite direction, it jails them when they do.
尽管沙特的统治家族——邵德（al-Saud）家族，承受了要求他们学习邻国榜样的巨大压力，但是内部的反对力量依然很强。因此，邵德家族变成了双面派：一方面，皇室家族鼓励民主改革者大胆直言，另一方面，当民主改革者这么做的时候，皇室就把他们打入大牢。