1:28 - Will Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel soon? Richard’s one big thing this week is what people are talking about in Saudi foreign policy this week: “normalization.” Are Saudi Arabia and Israel in fact close to normalizing relations? The hosts discuss the gap that currently exists between Israel and Saudi Arabia and why there’s a lot in the way between the two countries preventing a further warming of ties. *** 13:04 - A new study by KPMG surveys the opinions and insights of Saud...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 46
2:32 - Saudi Arabia's big week at Davos Richard's one big thing this week is Saudi Arabia's presence at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week and how Saudi Arabia is stepping into the limelight with a strong economic start to 2022. Saudi Arabia has one of the few good stories to tell at the WEF in a world struggling to deal with the fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and worldwide challenges with inflation. Saudi Arabia, represented by a host of top-level ministers, ...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 45
1:16 - Richard's one big thing this week - What’s next for the UAE as Mohamed bin Zayed takes the reins? The UAE’s de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was elected president of the Gulf Arab state by a federal supreme council, following the death of Sheikh Khalifa. MbZ, as he is known, is 61. He had already been in power for years in a period when Sheikh Khalifa suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014. The hosts discuss the rise of MBZ, the importance of Sheikh Khali...
May 20, 2022•39 min•Ep. 44
2:20 - Richard's one big thing is a discussion on carbon capture including a recent huge investment by Aramco into the space. 12:35 - There’s a lot going on in Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector... This week, there were two events in the region: A major aviation summit in Riyadh, called the Future Aviation Forum, and a tourism and travel event in Dubai, the Arabian Travel Market. Both created significant news in the sector... 27:38 - The U.S. State Department's Joshua Yaphe joins The 966 to discuss h...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 43
1:00 - Building a Hydrogen Sector: Can the US help Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia seeks to become a global supplier of hydrogen and create a home-grown industry. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia should (and already are) working together to help Saudi Arabia realize this goal and to help power the energy transition. 9:50 - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Scholarship Program has a new name and a new, refreshed mandate. The refreshed scholarship program will send 70,000 Saudi students abroad to top-ranked univer...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 42
Dr. Mohammed Alhajji is director of the Behavioral Insights & Nudge Unit at the Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia since November 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he develops and implements. He also is co-founder of SaudiGenome, an innovative social entrepreneurship startup in Saudi Arabia to provide genetic testing at low costs with the goal of reducing prevalence of hereditary diseases in the nation.
May 03, 2022•49 min•Ep. 41
0:38 - Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's first visit to Saudi Arabia in years represents a thaw in Saudi-Turkey relations that hit a low point four years ago. Erdogan hopes the visit will herald a new era of relations after intense efforts to repair strained ties following the aftermath of the Jamal Khashoggi murder in Istanbul in 2018. Before the visit, in a policy reversal, Turkey halted and transferred its own trial of the Saudi suspects in the killing of Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia. Ac...
Apr 29, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 40
1:43 - Prince Turki al-Faisal's recent op-ed in Arab News is a must-read. The hosts discuss this piece, ' America should laugh with the Kingdom, not scowl’ , and why it brilliantly captures outdated American attitudes about Saudi Arabia as a growing nation with strong, deep ties to the United States. "While many challenges face us in the post-corona era, I am amused by the brouhaha in the US media about a Saudi TV comedy sketch that took the mickey out of President Joe Biden. Commentators and pu...
Apr 22, 2022•43 min•Ep. 39
1:17 - Saudi Arabia made interesting headway in four different foreign policy areas this week. Significant developments in Saudi Arabia’s relationships with and interests in Iran, Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen. The 966 kicks off by talking about each of these for Richard's one big thing this week. 9:19 - The U.S. Navy's new multinational task force will deploy to the waters around Yemen and in the Red Sea to help protect Saudi Arabia and ensure the security of trading routes in the critical waterway...
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 38
0:38 - Richard's One Big Thing This Week is NEOM's roadshow event in New York City on Tuesday, which he attended - and said was a success. Executives attending on behalf of the futuristic mega-city and development on the Kingdom's Red Sea coast were enthusiastic about NEOM and what's to come... 12:27 - Lucien's One Big Thing This Week is a Saudi UAV company that is hoping to become an exporter of drones in the coming years. Saudi Arabia’s INTRA Defense Technologies CEO Abdulsalam Ghamdi said in ...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 37
The rapidly evolving venture capital environment in the Middle East, Gulf and Saudi Arabia is in focus in this special conversation for The 966.
Apr 06, 2022•53 min•Ep. 36
1:00 -- Saudi Arabia's incredible, award-winning pavilion at Dubai's Expo 2020 signed off with a big ceremony. Will Saudi Arabia host Expo 2030? Of the top 5 candidate-cities, two are in Russia and Ukraine. The Russian invasion of Ukraine weakens their candidacy, leaving Saudi Arabia in competition with only Italy (which hosted in 2015) and South Korea. So, what would an Expo 2030 Riyadh Saudi Arabia look like? Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the Saudi bid to host Expo 2030 in October...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 35
0:57 - A new personal status law in Saudi Arabia is set to be a game-changer for Saudi women, in addition to having significant real-life impact for everyone in Saudi Arabia. The personal status law is one of the four laws announced by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in February, which is designed to enhance the efficiency and integrity of the kingdom's judicial system – a move that will eventually lead to a fully codified law. The crown prince noted that the personal status d...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 34
Nusf specializes in preparing and qualifying women for executive leadership in Saudi Arabia. The organization was founded to help Saudi and Arab women develop professionally, lead in the corporate world, and make a lasting positive impact on society. Nusf is committed to advancing the Kingdom’s national development agenda and Vision 2030 objective of increasing women’s participation in the workforce. Nusf believes that no country can achieve prosperity or realize its full potential if it leaves ...
Mar 18, 2022•47 min•Ep. 33
2:36 - Where is shale oil and why isn't it more impactful in the U.S. energy mix? U.S. shale oil production transformed global energy markets when it helped U.S. oil production go from just under 4mbd in September 2008 to 13.1 mbd in February 2020. And, despite rapid depletion rates, shale oil production is cheaper and faster to bring online than traditional methods of oil production. By 2014 U.S. oil – specifically shale oil – was widely viewed as the ‘swing producer’ – a role OPEC and specific...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 32
1:49 - Lucid's new Saudi plant is official. Lucid announced a long-term plan to bring advanced automotive manufacturing to Saudi Arabia to address global demand. The plant will be designed for a maximum annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Lucid estimates that the site could result in up to $3.4 billion in value for the company over 15 years. The plant is expected to create “several thousand highly skilled jobs.” 6:25 - Saudi Arabia is hosting its first ever major defense show this we...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 31
1:29 - Richard's one big thing this week in Saudi Arabia is an update to Saudi Arabia's founding story as the Kingdom celebrated its Founding Day on February 22. Earlier this year, the government announced the new holiday will be celebrated with a day off for both public and private sector workers, and released a vintage-looking logo used to mark the event. The Saudi English-daily Arab New s features a fascinating report on how historians and experts in the Kingdom worked to reveal the actual fo...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 30
2:10 - Richard's "One Big Thing" this week: Al Dawaa Medical Services Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical retail companies in Saudi Arabia, will list 25.5 million shares on the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul) seeking to raise about $500 million. Al Nahdi Medical Co., the kingdom’s largest pharmacy retail chain, plans to seek about $1.3 billion in an IPO in the next few months in what could be the largest share sale in the kingdom since state oil giant Saudi Aramco went public in 2019... 10:35 - ...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 29
Saudi Arabia’s changing society, economy, and the impact of King Salman with guest David Rundell, author of the book Vision or Mirage, Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads. 7:16 - Richard's one big thing this week is the Saudi Games 2022 will welcome 6,000 athletes in March - the first time this huge event has been held in the Kingdom. 6000 athletes from both sexes will compete in 45 sports in the host city Riyadh from March 10 - 20 with big prizes awarded. 13:08 - Lucien's one big thing is a new repo...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 28
1:48 - Richard's one big thing is the announcement of Saudi Arabia's Founding Day - a new holiday in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's Council of Ministers has chosen Feb. 22 to commemorate the Founding Day of Saudi Arabia. Annual celebrations will recognize the foundation of the first Saudi state in 1727 by Imam Mohammed bin Saud, a move that brought unity, peace, and stability to the Arabian Peninsula following centuries of fragmentation and dissension. 11:44 - Lucien's one big thing is the one big...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 27
1:16 - Richard’s one big thing is a recent item by Ali Shihabi for the Hoover Institution , The Saudi Succession And The Sociocultural-Religious Reforms Of Mohammed Bin Salman. 4:43 - Lucien's one big thing is Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has created a new hospitality company called The Boutique Group that will transform palaces into ultra-lux hotels. The Boutique Group will convert iconic historic and cultural palaces into luxurious boutique hotels in Saudi Arabia, and then manag...
Jan 28, 2022•38 min•Ep. 25
3:15 - Richard's One Big Thing this week is fintech startup Tamara's big Series A investment. Riyadh-based buy now pay later platform Tamara has raised $110 million in a Series A round led by leading global payment processor Checkout.com. The hosts discuss this in the context of the Kingdom's growing venture capital ecosystem and the importance of startups for the Kingdom's Vision 2030 economic and social reforms. 6:20 - Lucien's One Big Thing this week is Saudi Arabia's first ever delegation to...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 24
0:45 - Richard's one big thing this week is Saudi Arabia in 2021 continued its exponential growth as a theatrical box office market. According to reports. Revenue totaling $238 million for the year, a 95% increase compared with 2020 when the total intake had been $122 million, according to figures provided by Comscore. Interesting news for the bourgeoning cinema industry in Saudi Arabia with an ongoing pandemic. 5:10 - Lucien's one big thing this week is (again?) Saudi golf. A new podcast from G...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 23
Episode 20! The 966 Hosts discuss Gaussin's hydrogen-powered Dakar Rally truck in partnership with Aramco, why Saudi coffee is so delicious and how 2022 is "The Year of Saudi Coffee," the mining and minerals sector in Saudi Arabia, a discussion oil in 2022, and much more in the program's "Yallah" final segment. 1:00 - Richard's one big thing this week is the first hydrogen-powered truck to take part in the legendary Dakar Rally set off Saturday from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. Produced by ...
Jan 07, 2022•53 min•Ep. 22
The 966's first "topical" discussion format is with energy expert Kate Dourian, non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and contributing editor at MEES, the Middle East Economic Survey. Kate is also a former editor and veteran journalist covering energy and more in the region for Reuters and Platts, and joins The 966 from London.
Jan 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 21
The hosts kick off each each with their “one big interesting thing this week in Saudi Arabia.” Richard highlights a forthcoming conversation The 966 has with energy expert Kate Dourian and discusses dwindling new oil supplies coming on-line in 2021. Lucien notes that, while not a done deal, a PIF takeover of Inter Milan would be a big deal for Saudi Arabia’s global sports ambitions and would be a strong blue chip global football brand to add to the powerful investment fund’s portfolio. Chris Joh...
Dec 30, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 20
Today - with the holiday season fast approaching and Christmas on Saturday, The 966 features a special episode for today's weekly podcast. 3:35 - Lucid is building a factory in Saudi Arabia: Lucid has recently announced that the USA-based electric car manufacturer will be producing vehicles in Saudi Arabia by 2024. Lucid will be competing against its rival Tesla and hopes to outperform the Tesla Model S in the Saudi market. 8:14 - Saudi Arabia plans airport takeovers privatizations for at least ...
Dec 24, 2021•50 min•Ep. 19
The 966 features an exclusive, two-part interview with Fahad Nazer, spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in Washington. In Part 2 of the interview, the hosts ask Mr. Nazer about a wide range of issues, including about Saudi Arabia's students in the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia's relationship with Israel. The hosts also ask Fahad a little bit about growing up in the United States, including how he became a fan of the NFL's New York Jets. Nazer, who has been a contributor to SUSTG.com as well a...
Dec 19, 2021•20 min•Ep. 18
1:00 - The Saudi Ministry of Culture hosted the Riyadh Philosophy Conference with a virtual talk from professor Michael Sandel. A major international conference on philosophy has been held in Saudi Arabia aimed at encouraging critical thinking, according to the BBC and other local sources. In a virtual appearance, Harvard professor Michael Sandel - who's been described as having the global profile of a rock star - "told the organizers that he didn't want to give a lecture, but instead sought to ...
Dec 16, 2021•46 min•Ep. 17
1:04 - The UAE weekend is changing. The United Arab Emirates is changing its workweek to have half days on Fridays and a Saturday-Sunday weekend. 8:46 - The hosts discuss their first time visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and how perceptions differed from reality on the ground. The 966 recently interviewed the Saudi Embassy in Washington's top spokesperson Fahad Nazer. One of his answers to a question from the hosts prompted a new discussion on the importance of visiting Saudi Arabia and se...
Dec 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 16
