Structured around the themes of identity and change, this is an examination of the forces affecting the attitudes, motivation and aspirations of the new generation in Saudi Arabia and exploration of the tension between perceptions of tradition and modernity. Crucial to this is an explanation by the youth of Saudi Arabia themselves of how they understand and explain this tension. How the ruling elite envision meeting the challenge of the new generation given the decline in the oil-based economy is central to this debate. While a redefinition of patriarchy is inevitable, globalization of identities represents a significant concern for the new Saudi Arabia in terms of modernizing an outdated education system and containing emerging Islamic trends among Saudi youth.