Since becoming the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has been one of the most influential leaders in the Middle East. Seeking to brand himself as a domestic reformer, MBS has enacted social and political changes in his country that have challenged decades of Saudi tradition and precedent. However, his tenure has also been characterized by authoritarian tendencies through his aggressive targeting of dissenters and his assertive foreign policy moves. In his recent book “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman,” Ben Hubbard, the Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times, explores the nuances behind MBS’s consolidation of power and analyzes how he is reshaping Saudi Arabia internally and internationally. At this webinar, Hubbard participated in a discussion moderated by Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies, and took questions from viewers.
This event was co-sponsored by the Baker Institute’s Center for the Middle East and the Center for Energy Studies. Follow @CES_Baker_Inst on Twitter and join the conversation online with #BakerMBS.
Agenda
1:00 p.m. — Presentation
1:30 p.m. — Q&A
Featured Speaker
Ben Hubbard is the Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times. An Arabic speaker with more than a decade of experience in the Middle East, he has covered coups, civil wars, protests, jihadist groups, religion and pop culture from more than a dozen countries, including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Yemen. His first book, “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman,” was published in March 2020. Before becoming a journalist, Hubbard studied history in Chicago, Arabic in Cairo and journalism in Berkeley, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa.
Moderator
Jim Krane, Ph.D.
Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies, Baker Institute
