This week on Babel, Jon talks with his longtime friend Dr. Kristin Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Kristin analyzes how young Gulf Arabs' eagerness for change finds public expression, how Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman has sought to shape young peoples' attitudes for reform in Saudi Arabia, and how young people are engaging in their own regional dialogues about change. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Caleb Harper continue the conversation about youth and social change across the region. 

Kristin Diwan, “All the Kings’ Sons,” Arab Gulf State Institute in Washington (AGSIW), April 9, 2021.  

Kristin Diwan, “Why the Saudis Ended the Dispute with Qatar,” AGSIW, February 8, 2021. 

Jon Alterman, "The End of History in the Middle East," CSIS, November 22, 2021.

Jon Alterman, "Ties that Bind," CSIS, December 2, 2019.

Transcript, "Gulf Youth and the Urge for Change," CSIS, December 21, 2021.