Saudi Arabia and the Labor Market

This week on a special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman, the creator of Babel and the show’s host since it began in 2019. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program, his analysis of how the Middle East policy ecosystem ...  Show more

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Mohanad's latest paper for Carnegie investigates the rise of a new form of drug smuggling in Lebanon. Together, they discuss Hezbollah’s i ...  Show more

In Episode 64, hosts Hanaa and Lucien kick off by catching up on more travel and some interesting feedback they received. Then Hanaa leads a DEEPDIVE on how Saudi Arabia is building a national skills ecosystem to reshape its economy and elevate its global influence - and leaning ...  Show more

Studying Yemen, al-Shawkani, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and football. In this fascinating conversation with Professor Bernard Haykel, he offers deep insight into contemporary Saudi Arabia, the realities of pivoting an entire economy away from oil, and what MBS’ vision 2030 ac ...

The show opens with The TWENTY30 co-hosts, Hanaa and Lucien, catching up and discussing the recently-concluded Eid holiday and traditions around it in Saudi Arabia, including a surprising one surrounding cash gifts that stirs Hanaa’s memories of being a child in Saudi Arabia and ...  Show more

In this episode, we consider the government's policies which aimed to “Jordanize” of some sectors of the labor market, policies that halted migrant recruitment to make room for Jordanians and address unemployment. We look at some of these policies to see if they have made any pro ...  Show more