The quiet reformer: King Abdullah's reform agenda has been slowly progressing behind the scenes, but the growing uncertainty in neighbouring Iraq may yet become his biggest challenge.(SPECIAL REPORT: SAUDI ARABIA)

King Abdullah is a busy man. The 79-year-old monarch has been getting to know his people in recent months, covering every inch of the country, from Hail in the north to Jizan and Najran in the south. Every stop has been linked with the launch of a new university, a greenfield industrial plant or a real estate development or two.

The royal progress has the air of a presidential fund-raising campaign. But this style is in tune with the populist reform agenda promulgated by Riyadh. "If you look at the tours the king has undertaken, it is to understand his people," says Mustafa Alani at the Gulf Research Centre. "All the key ministers have accompanied him, as they ...