The 966

Episode 86! The hosts fly solo today with lots to discuss from a busy week in Saudi Arabia. Richard's One Big Thing is the recent developments on Saudi-Syria relations. Syria has come in from the cold in recent days as the Arab League and Saudi Arabia in particular prioritize engagement with Assad regime to solve growing regional challenges - a departure from a decade of isolating the country whic...

The 966 Episode 85! The 966 hosts speak with Norah Ortiz, founder of the first authentic Mexican restaurant in Riyadh, Don Reuben's, which is located in the Diplomatic Quarter. Ortiz tells us her story as an American born in San Diego to Mexican parents and her journey to owning and operating the first authentic Mexican restaurant in a city increasingly becoming a hot spot for foodies. Before that...

In Episode 84, The 966 speaks with Faisal Durrani, partner and head of Middle East research for the global real estate company Knight Frank. Mr. Durrani shares some of the highlights and key information from Knight Frank’s recently-released 2023 report on real estate in Saudi Arabia, The Saudi Report 2023 , a publication which touches on many subjects beyond real estate, including hotels and touri...

Eid Fitr Mubarak! In Episode 83, Mohammed Soliman, the director of the Middle East Institute's Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program and a Manager at McLarty Associates’ Middle East and North Africa Practice, joins The 966. Mohammed's work focuses on the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Mohammed frequently appears on Arab...

In Episode 82, the 966 hosts fly solo and discuss some of the top developments of late on Saudi Arabia - and there are a lot of them. First, the hosts discuss Richard’s One Big Thing, which is the readout of the recent call between the U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. There were a lot of “Easter eggs” in that call’s readout from th...

The 966 welcomes back onto the program Bilal Saab, political-military analyst on the Middle East and U.S. policy toward the region and Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense and Security Program at the Middle East Institute . The hosts ask Bilal about his recent piece, entitled "After Oil-for-Security: A Blueprint for Resetting U.S.-Saudi Security Relations." Before that discussion, the hosts d...

Mr. James Golsen, Senior Commercial Officer for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, discusses his work building U.S.-Saudi trade and business relations and his journey to the important post. The 966 hosts talk with James about his role building U.S.-Saudi trade relations and enhancing investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia. They also discuss the recent Boeing deal with the newly-launched Riyadh Airlines,...

Saudi Arabia and Iran recently agreed to normalize ties between the two regional powers after seven years. The 966 speaks with three top voices to understand the deal and the potential road ahead for Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, the United States, and other regional and global players. First, the hosts speak with the top spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in Washington, Fahad Nazer , to discuss the...

Episode 78! The 966 hosts fly solo this week ahead of a busy week of travel to Saudi Arabia and the region and an impressive slate of forthcoming guests in the coming weeks. Richard’s One Big Thing this week is a recent collection of articles and items in the media that paint a picture of a U.S.-Saudi relationship that is evolving as Saudi Arabia increasingly becomes an emerging power and global e...

Steve Lutes, Vice President, Middle East Affairs at U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has been active in his role expanding the program in service to the Chamber's membership and the broader U.S.-Saudi relationship. The 966 hosts discuss the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Business Program that Steve has grown over the years, his extensive travels to the region and Saudi Arabia, and much more. 

Episode 76! The 966 welcomes Antonia Carver director of Art Jameel, who discusses her work supporting artists and creative communities in the Middle East region and beyond. Art Jameel was founded by the Jameel family philanthropies and is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and works globally. Before the discussion, the hosts talk about Founding Day 2023, the new Riyadh downtown project, and...

The 966 Episode 75! The hosts discuss the recently-concluded LEAP conference and exhibition in Riyadh and how Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a leader in the space in the region. They also discuss how Riyadh is, in general, becoming a more attractive destination for global events, a concept once difficult to imagine before the Kingdom opened up its borders to tourists. The hosts conclude as...

Episode 74! A conversation with Dr. Doaa Alsaleh MD, a physician-scientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City on her journey, work, research, and future before returning to work in Saudi Arabia soon. Dr. Doaa was born in Saudi Arabia, got her medical degree in Bahrain, and is now in pursuit of a PHD on top of her medical doctor degree at the prestigious Mount Sinai hos...

In Episode 73 this week, The 966 features an exclusive conversation with Jacob Mumm, Senior Vice President for Bechtel and Managing Director for Bechtel Saudi Arabia. Bechtel's role in over 300 major projects throughout 80 years in Saudi Arabia, including the world's largest single industrial development project at Jubail, the ambitious Riyadh Metro project, "The Spine" at Neom, Ras Al Khair, and...

[FULL EPISODE 72] - The Riyadh Metro project, the game-changing public transportation project in Saudi Arabia’s capital, “will be opened soon.” A discussion on the hot real estate market in Riyadh and across Saudi Arabia. Then, to kick off the program's "Yallah!" segment, the hosts spend some time talking about the Dakar Rally, which just wrapped up in the Kingdom, and marvel at the risks taken by...

3:36 - Bloomberg columnist and senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington Hussein Ibish joins The 966 to talk about global diplomacy, U.S.-Saudi relations, energy markets, Saudi Arabia as an emerging power, and so much more. Ibish is a weekly columnist for Bloomberg and The National (UAE) and is also a regular contributor to many other U.S. and Middle Eastern publicati...

Episode 70! Dr. Aziz Alghashain joins The 966 to talk about Saudi-Israel relations in 2023, the status of the Abraham Accords, and his view on Saudi foreign policy going forward. Before the conversation with Dr. Aziz, the hosts discuss the upcoming Future Minerals Forum 2023 in Riyadh, major developments in Saudi Arabia's water sector and how the Kingdom is getting more mature about water manageme...

Episode 59! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to our subscribers and listeners who celebrate. The 966 hosts kick off the second annual "Christmas spectacular" with a discussion of green hydrogen and news that Germany may be on of Saudi Arabia's first big customers, and a discussion of Saudi Arabia as a $1 trillion (!) economy. Then the hosts welcome Todd Albert Nims, a key player in the Kingdom’s...

Captain Bill Foster, USN (retired) is President of Jones Group Middle East, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jones Group International, and is Chairman of the The American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia (AmCham Saudi Arabia). Foster joins The 966 from Riyadh, where he talks about the changes ongoing in the Kingdom and the important work that AmCham is doing in Saudi Arabia serving as a platform for...

[FULL EPISODE 68] The 966 does a full episode on the #worldcup2022 in Qatar. The hosts react to the matches played and the smooth execution of the major sporting event by #Qatar. Then the hosts welcome on Dr. Mohammed Alhajji, who attended several of the matches including #Saudi Arabia's historic win over Argentina. 

An interview and conversation with the legendary HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud, who joins The 966 to share some stories and his anecdotes about his late father, King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. King Faisal's death lead his sons to create the King Faisal Foundation to honor his visionary legacy and generous spirit. HRH Prince Turki also discussed Saudi Arabia's progress with Vision 2030 and...

Robert Mogielnicki from AGISW and adjunct professor at Georgetown and GWU joins The 966 to talk NEOM, the PIF, the Saudi economy and so much more. The hosts talk about our neighbors – all 8 billion of them and counting - on planet Earth as the world's population passes 8 billion. Lucien's one big thing is the Crown Prince's recent trip to Asia, including Indonesia and South Korea, ahead of Chinese...

Episode 65! Prince Waleed Bin Nasser Al Saud joins The 966 -- Prince Waleed is CEO of Mukatafa, a consultancy based in Riyadh that brings together the public and private sectors in Saudi Arabia, forming an ecosystem that enables the private, public, and third-party sectors to collaborate, integrate, and grow together as the Kingdom drives forward with Vision 2030. Mukatafa means standing shoulder...

The 966 interviews Reem Philby and Alan Morrissey, two of the four team members set to embark on the ‘Heart of Arabia’ expedition, a 1,300km journey across Saudi Arabia following the route of Harry St John (Abdullah) Philby that took place 105 years ago. Philby and Morrissey join The 966 to discuss the history of Philby’s 1917 mission to Ibn Saud, which earned him the Royal Geographical Society Fo...

Episode 63! The hosts welcome Jeffrey Beyer, Managing Director, Zest Associates, a Dubai-based consultancy that develops sustainability solutions for governments and private companies for the low carbon economy. First, the hosts discuss Richard’s one big thing this week, which is Saudi Arabia’s forthcoming Saudi Games, the largest single sporting event ever in Saudi Arabia. Lucien’s one big thing...