Saudi Arabia’s Catastrophic “Everything” Problem

Select video clips courtesy of Getty Images

Select video clips courtesy of the AP Archive

Special thanks to MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors and GEOlayers 3

[ryansearle]

If there’s one thing this channel has taught me, it’s that there is no country that doesn’t have some kind of existential problem in the modern world

[malekzin]

The founder of Dubai once said: « My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover…but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again »

He was talking about UAE but it’s the feeling of Arab world in general

[alphahex]

This is seriously one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I wasn't expecting to watch the entire thing in 1 sitting after randomly clicking on something that looked interesting. Well done!

[saviorbob]

"He didn't trust the British so he went to the Americans to find oil for him" .... well he sure knew the right option there

[drago]

I like how Oman is just chilling there in the corner, being like... "Oh, man...". What an extremely rarely mentioned country.

[michaelhart]

I learn so much from your videoes - this and your other ones. I'm very grateful for the time and effort you invest into every video. Keep up the amazing work.

[cthymnn]

Thank you for this. It is so complex and overwhelming for a novice on this subject but it is. highly appreciated to allow me to gain knowledge.

[raxenladevaldak]

Honestly, it sounds like Saudi Arabia started this adjustment too late. The more I hear about most things in the world, the more it sounds like entrenched power has repeatedly set itself up to fall entirely because they aren't willing to give an inch.

[kairos_fluent]

I think a video about the Balkans geography and how that influenced the history and politics of that region would be very interesting.

[Merrymangos]

Wow…excellent work, So interesting and how have I not found this channel before…new fan, Australia

[fettlife]

By far, the best Saudi Arabian centric Middle Eastern history documentary one could produce. Well done 👏

[RedXlV]

And really, Saudi Arabia's current fairly dire situation is actually their *best-case* scenario. Imagine if the US were to not merely stop protecting Saudi Arabia but become *actively hostile* to them.

[Sambo]

Great video, although it misses a couple of very important key facts:
1) As alluded to, the US is well capable of producing an excess of oil over and above what they need domestically, they just choose not to for various reasons.
2) When making the deal with the Saudis for their supply of oil, the US added another stipulation to the agreement; that the Saudis use the US dollar for pricing and transacting for oil. This gave the US dollar IMMENSE strength and power globally and was one of the main cornerstones of the USD's global dominance and subsequently US global power.
3) Recent Saudi deals with China to trade oil in Chinese Yuan and agreements with Russia regarding oil supply and pricing have significantly strained the relationship with the US.
4) Despite their best efforts and intentions, the world will not be able to remove their reliance on oil any time soon. Alternative energy generation is still a long way from being good enough to replace oil. While nuclear power generation could likely do the job, this is not a favoured option for many countries.

[pythagorasaurusrex]

Excellent video! It's explains the major geopolitcal problems in that area down to the line in a short but precise manner. This should be mandatory to teach our kids where all these problems originated from and developed until today. My deepest respect for the creator of this video!

[MikeHarris]

Going to watch on Nebula now!! I love Nebula and love that all my fav youtubers got together and built Such a great service and showing all the educational videos I want to see!

[wiszak]

Several counter points:
1- KSA has at least 700b$ in their national wealth fund invested everywhere in the world.
2- KSA still has the support of the Arab and Muslim world because of its religious importance
3- The world may need less oil as fuel in the future, however, KSA is focusing more and more on using its oil in petrochemical industries
4- The ages of coal and wood are over. However, we are still consuming massive amounts of coal and wood as sources of energy. If you can produce oil cheap enough (KSA can), you will always find customers.
5- KSA still has many other sources of income that they are hardly exploiting now, from religious tourism to massive mines of natural resources to seaports exploiting its great geolocation.
*The challenges for KSA are great, but it is far from being doomed.

[Wex_]

As Aramco employee, i can confirm that ksa has 12 other resources for power and its starting to decrease the oil sales and rely on the other resources

[bizichyld]

I learned an ENORMOUS, amount from this MASSIVE video. Thanks!

[zacharycadman]

Absolutely packed full of good information. Well done 👏

[okqotyl]

I'm always gobsmacked by the amount of research that goes into these. This does an amazing job at showing just how complicated geopolitics are..