Making Sense with Sam Harris

#278 — The Man Who Will Be King

Apr 13, 2022

Graeme Wood, a staff writer at The Atlantic and expert on the Islamic State, joins the discussion. They dig into the controversial reign of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, including the high-profile murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Ritz-Carlton imprisonments. The talk covers Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, relationships with Israel, and ongoing reform efforts. They also explore the complexities of U.S.-Saudi relations, jihadist deprogramming in prisons, and how the geopolitical landscape is shifting in the region amidst these challenges.

37:41

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Episode guests

Graeme Wood

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Profile of a Future Monarch: Mohammed bin Salman

2min

Geopolitics of Saudi Arabia and Iran

29min

The Dynamics of the Saudi Economy: Oil Dependency and Workforce Changes

2min

Exploring Jihadist Deprogramming in Saudi Prisons

2min

Sam Harris speaks to Graeme Wood about Muhammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. They discuss the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the imprisonment of Saudi elites in the Ritz Carlton, the Vision 2030 campaign, relations with Israel, the posture of the Biden administration, energy policy, Saudi efforts to deprogram jihadists, the strange case of Musa Cerantonio, John Walker Lindh, the current condition of ISIS, the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda, how Finland has made itself invasion-proof, and other topics.

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