Episode 98! Dr. Bader Al-Saif, founding President at Al-Saif Consulting and Assistant Professor at Kuwait University joins The 966 to talk about Saudi Arabia as an emerging economic and diplomatic power in a changing region. Al-Saif is also a visiting researcher at Georgetown University, where he completed his PHD in history, and a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGISW). Al-Saif is frequently quoted in the largest publications and media outlets around the world. The 966 hosts discuss with Bader Saudi Arabia's ambitions and the context of its recent domestic and foreign policy decisions in its own history as a young nation. Before that conversation, the hosts revisit Saudi-Israel relations after discussing it last week; a lot has changed in just the previous few days since they discussed Saudi-Israel normalization reports and rumors last week. Then, hosts discuss Lucid Motor's recent earnings call and some surprise details revealed by its CEO beyond the latest financial figures for the PIF-backed company. The hosts conclude as always with the Yallah segment, with six top storylines from the week on Saudi Arabia.

9:20 - Saudi-Israel normalization. A new report from the WSJ said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have agreed to the outlines of a deal. But many obstacles still remain...The US and Saudi Arabia continue to work on a framework aimed at Saudi recognition of Israel in exchange for US security guarantees for Riyadh. The Biden administration said in response to the report that there's still a long way to go. The hosts discuss the current state of the talks and why the talks alone are a good thing for all parties and create an uptick in U.S.-Saudi diplomacy. 

27:57 - Lucid's recent earnings call revealed the company's current financial position. It also revealed its road ahead, including plans for a factory under construction now in KAEC in Saudi Arabia, the forthcoming SUV, and much more.

"We are not limited by our ability to manufacture. Most of the supply chain has now come through out of the COVID era," CEO Peter Rawlinson told Reuters. "We are limited by our ability to sell the cars right now, and that is my key focus."

44:14 - Dr. Bader Al-Saif, founding President at Al-Saif Consulting and Assistant Professor at Kuwait University joins The 966 to talk about Saudi Arabia as an emerging economic and diplomatic power in a changing region. Al-Saif is an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University and a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He holds a PhD with distinction from Georgetown University, a Master of Education and a Master of Theology, both with honors from Harvard University, and a Master of Law with honors from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a double major in political science and history.

1:35:05 - Yallah! 6 top storylines on Saudi Arabia to get you up to speed headed into the weekend...

•China is said to be in support of a third round of talks to find a framework for peace in Ukraine after a meeting of senior officials from about 40 countries in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.

•The long-awaited operation to resolve the issue of the ageing tanker SFO Safer, currently decaying off the coast of Yemen, is set to end in the coming days, with over 96 percent of the ship’s oil cargo transferred to a replacement tanker, the Yemeni government said on Wednesday.

•After pumping tens of billions of dollars into high-profile global investments, the $700 billion Public Investment Fund is accelerating spending at home, often on obscure startups and projects that it plans to own and operate.

•US oil production this year will rise faster than previously expected according to a new government forecast. Higher-than-expected well productivity and rising crude prices will help boost US production to a record 12.8 million barrels a day in 2023, up from a previous forecast of 12.6 million, according to a monthly report from the US Energy Information Administration released Tuesday.

•IMG has locked a series of international broadcast deals for the Saudi Pro League’s (SPL) 2023/24 season. The confirmed deals span over 130 territories, including what has been described as a “landmark deal” with DAZN in multiple territories (Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and the UK) as well as Sport TV (Portugal), La 7 (Italy), Marca.com (Spain), and Canal+ (France).

•More than 3,000 Marines and sailors arrived in the Middle East on Sunday in a deployment meant to deter Iran from seizing and harassing merchant ships near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.