CHANGING TIMES

Anniversaries are convenient, if 'somewhat arbitrary, points at which to take stock- of current situations and look forward to future prospects and possibilities. This week Saudi Arabia marked on 23 September, the 52nd year of its existence as a modern state in its present shape and form. When, in 1932, the legendary King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud set his seal on the Arabiam of today, it is unlikely that even his breadth of vision encompassed the substance and kinds of role his country would later come to fill.