Crown Prince MBS’s power & Saudi Arabia’s contradictions

episode

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

War and Peace in 2025, with Clarissa Ward and Comfort Ero 51 min · 20 Dec 2025

All episodes from GZERO World with Ian Bremmer →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded23 Jul 2022

Publisherfeeds.simplecast.com ↗

Handlerec:6541571

Show notes

US President Joe Biden didn't get much out of his recent controversial trip to Saudi Arabia, says Princeton University Bernard Haykel, who frames it as a "big win" for the Saudis and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with Haykel, an expert on all things Saudi and an MBS confidante. He explains how MBS consolidated power over the kingdom and its strategic value to the US in the Middle East. They also discuss MBS's strategy to modernize his country, the prospects for future warmer ties with Israel, and why the crown prince will avoid situations like the Khashoggi murder in the future. The Saudis "were able to show that they have tremendous convening power" by bringing in all the Gulf leaders, thus demonstrating that Riyadh is the most important player in the region, offering political stability. The Saudi crown prince now looks less like a pariah and more like a partner of the US. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.