This week on Babel, Gregory Gause joined Jon to talk about how Gulf economies are changing during Covid-19. Greg is the head of the international affairs department at Texas A&M University and holds the John H. Lindsey '44 chair. Greg and Jon discuss Saudi Arabia's labor markets, economic reforms under MBS, and the future of the kingdom. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley, talk about initiatives to change how young people relate to both each other and the government in the Gulf.

Jon Alterman, Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism, CSIS, December 2, 2019.

Gregory Gause, “Saudi Arabia and Sectarianism in Middle East International Relations,” POMEPS Studies 38, March 2020.

Will Todman, “Manufacturing New Loyalties in the UAE,”CSIS, January 9, 2020.