Is the Saudi “City of the Future” Overly Ambitious?

Jan 15, 2021
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Also published in The Hill
Concept art of the Saudi NEOM project
About the Authors
Simon Henderson
Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is the Baker Senior Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute, specializing in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Articles & Testimony

Major distractions from abroad have not changed the fact that NEOM remains central to the crown prince’s vision for transforming the kingdom, despite its steep political and financial challenges.

In this time of COVID-19 and a U.S. presidential transition, many are asking, “What is the future?” Apparently, it is Saudi Arabia. More precisely, it is an area of mountainous desert in the northwest of the kingdom that is the site of a futuristic, hi-tech city called NEOM. The NEOM project was announced in 2017. This week it appears to have been relaunched in a massive public relations campaign, including a video presentation by its principal advocate, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the visionary (and controversial) de facto ruler...

Read the full article on the Hill website.

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