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
The combo of local opposition to a high-tech urbanization project and oil market volatility has cast a shadow over Riyadh’s long-term economic plans.
The Neom project is a $500 billion dream city being built in northwest Saudi Arabia, bordering the Red Sea as well as Egypt and Jordan. Unfortunately for the crown prince’s dreams, the remote area is not empty. An estimated 20,000 locals live there, predominantly members of the al-Huwaitat tribe. In the U.S., “eminent domain” involves lawyers. In Saudi Arabia, the process can be rougher...
