Evident in conversations with HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal was the closely intertwined nature between the Kingdom’s current foreign and domestic policies. As the regional superpower in the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi Arabia is striving to increase allies amongst the Arab states while accomplishing goals set in the 2030 vision.

In terms of present foreign policy objectives, Prince Turki emphasized the reality that Saudi Arabia is  surrounded by countries currently undergoing political strife or lacking positive geopolitical relations with the Kingdom. With countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen consistently experiencing the consequences of civil unrest, the Kingdom is in the difficult position of having to ensure that external conflicts do not impact its national security. The primary threat the Prince noted was expansion efforts initiated by Iran and their involvement in numerous proxy wars throughout the region. Given their support of organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, Saudi Arabia is in a constant race to prevent attacks on its homeland or on allies abroad. The Prince emphasized the Kingdom’s strong desire to increase its allies in the region and their attempts to forge positive relations with its neighbors. However, civil unrest and the hostility of certain regimes has plagued the Kingdom with a present inability to successfully solidify regional security. Evidently, the current threat of Iran to the region as a whole is Saudi Arabia’s most prevalent threat to its security. Countering Iranian aggression was highlighted by the Prince as the Kingdom’s current primary foreign policy objective.

The Kingdom’s domestic policy similarly reflects its general interest in ensuring security, stability and prosperity for its citizens. With progress being made to achieve its 2030 vision goals, Saudi Arabia is rapidly developing its infrastructure, investing in its youth, and diversifying its economy in order to increase its ability to be a competitive hegemon amongst superpowers. Given that roughly 70% of its populous is below the age of 30, the Kingdom has consistently worked towards further investing in its young people and exposing them to other cultures. Through educational scholars, the Kingdom has fully funded thousands of Saudi students to attend university abroad in primarily countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. And overwhelmingly, the students sent abroad have a strong desire to return back to Saudi Arabia to give back to their country. With the recent change in the law allowing women to drive, the Kingdom has progressed in strengthening its human capital and subsequently improving the Saudi economy. Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s interest in modernizing the country, solidifying regional and internal security, and elevating the Kingdom in competition with Western nations, its focus on the young populous is a strategy that will luckily pay off in the decades to come.

As the leader of the Middle East and North Africa, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in a position to become one of the leading hegemons in the world. However, pressure placed by regional unrest, terrorism and societal shifts have challenged the country with attempting to ensure state stability while solidifying a prosperous future for its populous. Evidently, by focusing on modernization and its 2030 vision, as well as continuing to improve its friendly relations with the international community, the Kingdom can surely achieve its interest in being a leader in the world.

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My name is Nina Kalantar; I am a fourth year undergraduate student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA pursuing a BA in International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in Law and Public Policy and a concentration in the Middle East and North Africa. In the fall, I will be attending the London School of Economics and Political Science for my MSc in International Relations. With my research primarily on the MENA region, I had a strong interest in gaining exposure to a nation lacking significant external exposure and realistic coverage from the media. Having befriended may Saudis at university, I was excited to experience all of the wonderful aspects of their home country they had so often detailed. I was blown away by the hospitality, kindness and openness of all the Saudis we interacted with. The beauty of the country and its people are amazing and I would encourage anyone with an open mind to come experience it for themselves.