Expecting Changes In the Middle East Anytime Soon?

This NYT article shows what happens when you talk about reform too much in Saudi Arabia.

In the first sign that it has already wearied of the public debate over the possible roots of extremist thought in Saudi Arabia, the government ordered the removal today of the the editor in chief of Al Watan, the daily newspaper which had been most outspoken on the subject.
The editor, Jamal A. Khashoggi, one of the country's leading experts on political Islam, declined to comment on his firing.

A state of disbelief...

"How can this happen now, at this time?" asked one writer at Al Watan. "They are doing what the radicals want. A lot of journalists are asking what is going to change in Saudi Arabia. If they fired Jamal Khashoggi, nothing is going to change."