The New Gulf Cold War
by Bradley Hope
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Flying cars. Robot maids. Glow in the dark sand. Billions of trees planted in a country surrounded by desert. NEOM aspires to be the “safest, most efficient, most future-oriented, and best place to live and work” in the kingdom.
Welcome to Whale Hunting, a weekly newsletter delving into the hidden worlds of wealth and power. This week contributor Clara Preve-Durrieu digs deep into Mohammed bin Salman's NEOM megaproject. The efforts there have earned him a lot of bad press over the years, but a closer look at satellite images shows a lot is happening. What if it gets built? This is a project worth understanding because MBS is sitting on one of the world's greatest fortunes and he's spending freely to build his own version of the future. NEOM is more than a series of real estate projects, if the plans are to be believed. It's a new country, forged from science fiction concepts and utopian ideals. It could become a nightmare, but it also might become something more interesting than you think.
Catch up on some of our other recent reporting on Saudi Arabia and MBS:
Bradley Hope
Bradley Hope
– Bradley
By Clara Preve-Durrieu
Flying cars. Robot maids. Glow in the dark sand. Billions of trees planted in a country surrounded by desert. An artificial moon. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is building a futuristic eco-friendly smart city that aspires to be the “safest, most efficient, most future-oriented, and best place to live and work” in the kingdom.
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