Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former Wall Street Journal publisher Karen Elliott House, author of the new book The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia, talks to Adam Lowenstein about how Saudi Arabia has changed under the crown prince; whether MBS’s gamble on economic and social freedoms alongside civil and political repression is politically—or environmentally—sustainable; how Saudi Arabia’s oil and petrochemical industries serve its geopolitical interests; and why the kingdom’s promises about transitioning away from fossil fuels might be a bit less green than climate advocates would hope.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices