Will Changes in the Saudi Male Guardianship System Really Make a Difference?

There are still women activists being punished for protesting it — and the U.S. is complicit

Saudi activist and campaigner Aziza al-Yousef during an interview on September 27, 2016. Photo: Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty

This month, the Saudi Arabian authorities took the long-overdue step of easing restrictions on women under the kingdom’s repressive “male guardianship system.” Finally, women will be…