What is Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for Saudi Arabia?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 6 April 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Saudi Arabia has entered into a new era of relations with its long time rival, Iran. It’s a deal that has the potential to be very significant for the Middle East region.
It’s part of a vision of a new Saudi Arabia spearheaded by its Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. It’s a vision of futuristic cities, a new society, and a move away from an economy reliant on oil, not to mention new deals with ancient rivals in the region.
How much of this new vision of Saudi Arabia is achievable and is the man at the centre convincing enough to make it work?
This week on The Inquiry we’re asking, what is Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for Saudi Arabia?
Contributors: Stephen Kalin, Middle East correspondent, The Wall Street Journal Bill Farron Price, energy markets analyst Sanam Vakil, deputy head of Chatham House, Middle East and North Africa programme Dina Esfandiari, senior advisor for the Middle East and Africa programme at the International Crisis Group
Presented by Tanya Beckett Produced by Louise Clarke Edited by Tara McDermott Production co-ordinator is Brenda Brown Mixed by Nicky Edwards
Image: Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (Credit: Saudi Royal Court via Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At normal transactions. |
| 0:03.0 | It's a kind of cyber attack on a bank. |
| 0:05.0 | Ten of millions of dollars. |
| 0:07.0 | Something I don't think anybody has seen before. |
| 0:09.0 | It's a cyber criminal group. |
| 0:10.0 | From the BBC World Service. |
| 0:12.0 | The Lazarusized is back for season two. |
| 0:14.0 | It was really like in the movies. |
| 0:16.0 | Find out more at the end of this podcast. |
| 0:20.0 | Welcome to The Inquiry with me, Tonya Beckett. |
| 0:23.0 | One question, four expert witnesses, and an answer. |
| 0:31.0 | Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years. |
| 0:38.0 | They'll also activate cooperation deals and hold talks on how to... |
| 0:42.0 | On March 10, 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a reestablishing of relations. |
| 0:49.0 | It marked a subtle but important shift in the global world order. |
| 0:54.0 | Not just because the two Middle East giants haven't spoken for seven years, |
| 0:58.0 | but also because the deal had been broken not by a country in the West, but by China. |
| 1:04.0 | Iran and Saudi Arabia sit either side of a deafening religious and political divide. |
| 1:10.0 | Whereas Saudi Arabia is a monarchy with close relations to the West. |
| 1:15.0 | Iran is a theocracy that tops America's list of hostile states |
| 1:20.0 | and is even sided with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. |
| 1:25.0 | Not only that, the two have been locked in a bitter war in Yemen for several years |
... |
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