In Episode 42, the ever-insightful Dr. Jon Alterman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), one of the leading think tanks in Washington, joins The 966 to talk about a changing global order and the Middle East’s role in it. The hosts ask Jon about his work to-date, including building the fascinating and informative podcast series for CSIS, Babel: Translating the Middle East, which is available anywhere you get your podcasts. They also discuss Yemen, U.S.-Saudi diplomacy and the relationship, China’s role in the region, and so much more. The hosts begin the show as always with their respective “one big things this week in Saudi” which has them discussing hydrogen and Saudi students abroad, and conclude as always with six top storylines from the week in the program’s “Yallah!” segment.
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 universities and training institutes by 2030.
The hosts discuss these changes within the context of the decades-long history of the program, King Abdullah’s legacy, and why the new program makes sense for a changing Saudi Arabia.
20:36 – The venerable Dr. Jon Alterman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) thinktank in Washington joins The 966 to talk about a changing global order and the Middle East’s role in it.
The hosts ask Jon about his work to-date, including building the fascinating and informative podcast series for CSIS, Babel: Translating the Middle East, which is available anywhere you get your podcasts. They also discuss Yemen, U.S.-Saudi diplomacy and the relationship, China’s role in the region, and so much more.Jon is an expert in the region. He holds the Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and is Director, Middle East Program at CSIS; received his PhD from Harvard University, and worked for the State Department. His very latest among many accomplishments is the recent Podcast mini-series, Babel: Translating the Middle East, which The 966 hosts enthusiastically recommend. For the concluding episode in that series, Jon interviews U.S. Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, about the status of the fragile peace in the country and whats at stake there.
1:23:24 – Yallah! Six top storylines in Saudi Arabia to get you up to date heading into the weekend.
•Saudi Arabia launches the Tawakkalna Services app in a tech-forward leap for Saudi Arabia and its e-government focus…
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has launched a new app, Tawakkalna Services, to help improve the quality of life in the Kingdom, according to a report in Arab News. It provides 140 services that cover health, education, transport, Islamic and public services, and entertainment through 40 strategic partnerships. These include rendering a driving license, insurance documentation, passport inquiries and requests, a digital wallet approved by government agencies, charitable donations, data correction, and information verification.
•US removes Saudi Arabia from intellectual property protection concern list, a big win for the Kingdom…
According to a report in Arab News, The Office of the United States Trade Representative has taken the Kingdom off its Priority Watch List in its annual Special 301 Report, after Saudi Arabia tightened up its IP enforcement procedures.
•Video asking Saudis not to offer census takers coffee sparks pride in hospitality
A public service advert from Saudi Arabian authorities asking residents not to invite census takers into their homes for coffee is proving a hit with the public, according to a report in The National. The video, released by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics, has been viewed almost 800,000 times since its release earlier this week. The Saudi census starts on May 10, the first since 2010. Before that, the official census took place in 2004, 1992 and 1974. Authorities are expecting to record a big increase in the population. The 2010 census recorded a population of 27,136,977, while a preliminary estimate in mid-2020 was just over 35,000,000.
•Number of Saudi universities rises to 22 in UK Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings
The number of the Saudi universities jumped to 22 universities in the UK Times Higher Education (THE)’s Impact Rankings in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the year 2022, Zawya reports. Three Saudi universities were included in 2019; increasing to 5 universities in 2020. In 2021, the number was increased to 12 universities, and it reached 22 universities this year.
•Cash-strapped Pakistan gets $8 billion in financial support from Saudi Arabia, a significant lifeline…
According to the Economic Times, during the recent visit of Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide Pakistan with a “sizeable package” of around USD 8 billion to help the cash-starved country bolster dwindling forex reserves and revive its ailing economy. It was also agreed that the existing deposits of USD 3 billion would be rolled over for an extended period of up to June 2023, according to an official.
•Diriyah in Saudi Arabia will be home to Armani Hotels & Resorts’ first Saudi Arabian outpost
Giorgio Armani has decided to open a new hotel—the company’s third in the world in the city of Diriyah, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and located near the Saudi capital of Riyadh. According to Architectural Digest, overlooking Diriyah’s luxury shopping and hospitality district, the hotel will include approximately 70 luxuriously appointed suites plus two restaurants and a spa with a swimming pool, which offers a variety of wellness and relaxation experiences.
