Lesson 4: Saudi Arabia and Iran
January 30, 2025
Review:
- Attendance
- Oil and Conflict in the Middle East
- Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia video
- Video List
- Cold War in the Middle East (Vox): https://youtu.be/veMFCFyOwFI?si=W8PNPTsIsoV3SkA-
- Saudi Arabia Uncovered (Frontline): https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/saudi-arabia-uncovered/
- Five Reasons Iran is involved in so many global conflicts (BBC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEWp2xn67f4
- Why the Middle East is so important to the US (BBC): https://youtu.be/lg2_223sdy4?si=1XfFQ3Mq4UEKLYSg
- Bitter Rivals (Frontline): https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/bitter-rivals-iran-and-saudi-arabia/
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
- Cold War in the Middle East (Vox)
- Saudi Arabia
- Economy weakening, future less certain, signs of trouble
- Saudi Aramco
- World’s largest energy company (CNN Money video)
- IPO in 2019 and now Publicly Traded stock
- Proceeds to finance industrial diversificationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEWp2xn67f4
- 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
- Saudi Arabia Uncovered (01:40-09:00)
- Iran
Assignment:
- Finish watching: Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia (PBS Frontline)
- Watch
Recommended (not required):