Lesson 4: Saudi Arabia and Iran

January 28, 2021

Zoom Recording

Quiz 01:

• Answers
• Results
• Corrections
• Format

Review:

• Oil and Conflict in the Middle East
• Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia video

Presentation:

• Rivalry
  • Saudi Arabia – Sunni majority
  • Iran – Shi’a majority
  • Shi’a vs Sunni
  • Map of Shi’a vs Sunni population concentrations
  • Relative peace until 1979 Iranian Revolution
  • Ayatollah Khomeini encouraged uprising against US-Backed Monarchies, specifically Saudi Arabia
• Oil
  • Price History
  • 1973-1985 Oil Shocks and Boom
  • 1985-2000 Relative stability
  • 2000-2014 Post 9-11 Boom with Bush “War on Terror”
  • 2014-present Surplus plus weakening demand
• Saudi Arabia
  • Economy weakening, future less certain, signs of trouble
  • Saudi Arabia Uncovered (01:40-09:00)
  • Saudi Aramco
    • World’s largest energy company (CNN Money video)
    • IPO in 2019 and now Publicly Traded stock
    • Proceeds to finance industrial diversification
    • Saudi Arabia Shifting to Solar
  • Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
    • CIA believes MBS ordered Khashoggi murder
    • More recently, MBS hacked Jeff Bezos
    • Khashoggi worked at the Washington Post, owned by Bezos
    • Woman who campaigned for women’s rights imprisoned
  • US-Saudi relations
    • Trump v. Biden Admin

Assignment:

• Study for Quiz 02