Meeting

Navigating Saudi Arabia’s Future: Power and Change in the Kingdom

Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Speakers
F. Gregory Gause III
Visiting Scholar, Middle East Institute; Professor Emeritus of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University; CFR Member (speaking virtually)
Karen Elliott House
Author, The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia; Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; CFR Member
Michael A. Ratney
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2023–25); CFR Member
Presider
Frances Fragos Townsend
Founder, FFT LLC; Member, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations

Panelists discuss Saudi Arabia’s growing geopolitical role, the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the transformation of the Kingdom from recent reforms. 

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