“I, my brother and my cousin against the stranger.” The soul of Saudi Arabia. Plus Bence Ganti on IEC 2016

In this week’s Daily Evolver live Jeff takes an in-depth look at the beautiful and mysterious desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which he refers to as “our Arab frenemy”. President Obama spent several days there last week—his 4th visit, more than any sitting president.

Saudi Arabia has officially been an ally to the US since 1933. They’re our biggest customer in terms of arms sales, and we rely heavily on their oil. And yet, recent legislation would provide U.S. citizens with recourse to sue Saudi Arabia for culpability in the September 11 attacks (Obama says he’ll veto it). There is also a growing chorus of voices demanding the US government declassify 28 pages of a congressional investigation said to detail Saudi relations with, and support for, the Al Qaeda terrorist network before September 2001. Most Americans know that of the 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks, 15 were citizens of Saudi Arabia.

Needless to say, the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia is complicated.

The Saudi peninsula was populated by Bedouin nomads for thousands of years. Jeff takes us through some history of how these people went from humble nomadic goat herders to the richest per-capita nation on the face of the earth. Obviously, oil plays a starring role in that story.

Remember,  Red “warrior consciousness” is intrinsically warlike. If you’re not fighting you are losing. Nothing else makes sense.–Jeff Salzman

So what happens when a Red, warrior people suddenly have such wealth and power to wield in the world? Well for one thing, it creates a struggle between their red, warrior values such as ethnocentrism, patriarchy, and jihad, and the new, modern cultural values like science, commerce, and individual freedoms that want to come online. Jeff uses integral theory to shed some light.

Jeff also speaks with Bence Ganti about the 2nd Integral European Conference taking place in Hungary this week. Bence explains the multiple wisdom streams that will be converging: Ken Wilber’s AQAL Theory, Don Beck’s Spiral Dynamics, the “Teal movement” inspired by Frederick Laloux, circling practice, and Stan Grof’s transpersonal psychology.

As the refugee crisis continues, it’s a particularly poignant time to think about what it means to be a European. Bence and Jeff talk about how integral theory can help illuminate, and maybe even ameliorate, the humanitarian crisis engulfing the continent.

Send your questions and comments for the show to jeff@dailyevolver.com. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button to the right.