The 966 features an exclusive, two-part interview with Fahad Nazer, spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in Washington. In part of the interview, the hosts ask Mr. Nazer about a wide range of issues, including Saudi Arabia's energy plans, the Kingdom's relationship with the U.S. Congress (and the Biden administration), the Jamal Khashoggi murder, and other domestic-focused topics in part 1 of this exclusive two part interview. Nazer, who has been a contributor to SUSTG.com as well as Arab News and...
Dec 07, 2021•23 min•Ep. 15
1:31 - A significant number of entertainment and other events in Riyadh this winter has transformed the Saudi capital. The hosts discuss the significant changes ongoing in Riyadh as the city hosts "Riyadh Season." The grouping of events as part of a massive season-long entertainment push has Saudis traveling from all over the country to visit the capital, as guest co-host Fahad Almaliki attested. Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season has welcomed more than 4.5 million visits in a month, according to the ...
Dec 02, 2021•43 min•Ep. 14
1:20 - Women's soccer in Saudi Arabia takes a big leap forward. Saudi soccer officials said they will launch the first edition of a women’s league. The new women’s league will be playing in two phases within the regional league, and sixteen teams will take part in the first phase with games played in three cities — the capital Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Saudi officials also announced the hiring of Monika Staab to lead the Saudi Arabian national women’s team. 7:30 - SOUNDSTORM, a massive EDM fest...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 13
1:35 - Richard's One Big Thing This Week is the recent U.S.-GCC statement on Iran. Diplomats from the U.S., Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations convened in Riyadh this week to discuss a coordinated effort to counter Iran’s “range of aggressive and dangerous policies,” the State Department confirmed in a statement. The U.S. GCC Iran Working Group Statement “affirmed the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and the members of the GCC and our shared determination to contribute to regional secur...
Nov 19, 2021•50 min•Ep. 12
2:58 - Rivian’s IPO. Rivian, the electric adventure vehicle company, IPOed this week. The stock began trading at $106.75 a share, giving Rivian a market valuation of $91 billion. 5:36 - Saudi Arabia gears up to host world’s largest camel fest. 8:24 - Saudi Arabia's Red Sea International Festival. This is Saudi Arabia's first-ever film festival, and it will run from December 6-15 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The original date was in 2020. In total, the Red Sea Film Festival will feature 138 feature f...
Nov 12, 2021•49 min•Ep. 11
1:19: A slow-reveal of Richard's one big thing this week...but it involves the PMI and Saudi Arabia's economy. 6:02: One of the most interesting men in Saudi Arabia is Turki Al-Sheikh. According to Al-Sheikh's insta, he's written a horror film. The Cello is coming out in 2022, and stars academy award-winner Jememy Irons. Al-Sheikh shared the film’s poster in a Twitter post with the caption “2022.” 8:39: Saudi Arabia wants to host the world's fair in 2030 . Riyadh has submitted a formal request t...
Nov 05, 2021•34 min•Ep. 10
1:18 - A discussion about Boeing's prospects in the Middle East and beyond with a recent issue of its commercial market outlook 3:48 - Saudi Arabia's golf scene is set to come alive with the reported announcement of a partnership with Greg Norman. Saudi Arabia is interested in golf. Regardless of what happens in the coming week, Saudi Arabia is building several new and potentially awesome golf courses, and will continue with hosting The Saudi International this year with the Asian Tour. 5:31 - N...
Oct 29, 2021•38 min•Ep. 9
Dress Code at the Jeddah Grand Prix? The Upcoming Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah is December 5th, and a new dress code for the event is making the rounds on the internet. The dress code includes "no excessive makeup, no transparent clothing, no clothing which rests above the knee, no miniskirts, no backless dresses, nothing which shows straps, no tight clothing and no bikinis." Saudi may want tourism, but it doesn't want to be Las Vegas. The Puzzle of U.S.-Saudi Ties Jon Alterman from the Cent...
Oct 22, 2021•27 min•Ep. 8
The 966 interviews Saudi Arabia's Lina Almaeena, who spent well over a decade leading the charge for women’s sports in Saudi Arabia after co-founding Jeddah United in 2006. Almaeena then served on Saudi Arabia's top legislative advisory body, the Shura Council, and continues to work to advance women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia in line with Vision 2030's reforms. After the launch of Vision 2030 by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016, Lina was appointed to the Shoura Council,...
Oct 20, 2021•46 min•Ep. 7
4:30 - Topic #1: This week, An Australian company called EV Metals Group Plc plans to invest $3 billion in Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg. The investment is a bet on the metals used in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs.) 9:08 - Topic #2: Electricity and Power demand in Saudi Arabia. Electricity demand in Saudi Arabia changing after the implementation of efficiency measures and energy price reforms. KAPSARC projected the growth in total Saudi electricity demand to significantly decelerat...
Oct 15, 2021•21 min•Ep. 6
0:15 --- Saudi Arabia keeps ranking high in Covid mitigation indices, recently ranking second for recovery from the Pandemic by Nikkei 2:49 --- Saudi Arabian authorities have imposed a permanent ban on planting of palm trees - the symbol of Saudi Arabia - along roads as well as in parks and gardens across the Kingdom. This is part of measures to prevent the spread of the red palm weevil. The proportion of Saudi Arabia’s land area covered by forest has remained unchanged since 1990 at about 0.5%....
Oct 08, 2021•25 min•Ep. 5
What was it like to host the G20 in Saudi Arabia, and what was left behind? In 2020, Saudi Arabia became the first Arab nation to assume the G20 presidency. Hosting the G20 is a massive undertaking, involving close to two years of event planning, policy development and strategy, and much more. In the first feature-length interview for The 966, the hosts interview Abdullah AlHassan, who served as Saudi G20 Sous Sherpa and Executive Director of Policy during the Saudi G20 Presidency. The hosts ask...
Oct 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 4
3:00 - A Contemporary Art Biennale in Saudi Arabia 7:00 - The future of OPEC and oil in the global energy transition 17:30 - Lucid Air's New Car
Oct 05, 2021•26 min•Ep. 3
In the first episode of THE 966, Richard Wilson and Lucien Zeigler discuss their "one big thing" this week in Saudi Arabia. Then the two hosts discuss the meaning behind Saudi Arabia's National Day, the dramatic increase in new residential mortgages in the Kingdom, and assessing U.S.-Saudi relations under President Biden so far.
Oct 05, 2021•24 min•Ep. 2
The 966 is a new podcast covering all things Saudi Arabia. In this introduction to the show, hosts Richard Wilson and Lucien Zeigler discuss the origins of The 966, why Saudi Arabia is strategically important and why it’s fortunes – good or bad – matter to the U.S. The 966 explores the news, people, and issues that actually matter for the Kingdom through weekly conversations and interviews with Saudi business leaders, officials, newsmakers and others. THE 966 goes beyond the headlines and tackle...
Oct 05, 2021•9 min•Ep. 1
