The Inside Story Of How Saudi Arabia Was Transformed (S01E163)

Friday, October 2, 2026, Istanbul

For more than a decade, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has undertaken effort to transform Saudi Arabia from a staid welfare state largely dependent on oil revenues and imported labor into a more dynamic economy.

Former Swedish Minister of Employment Sven Otto Littorin has spent the better part of the last 10 years inside Saudi Arabia’s labor ministry as an adviser to the government. He helped come up with the reforms and new policies that have brought women into the workforce for the time first time in the country’s history and helped ignite the country’s dormant entrepreneurial spirit.

In an exclusive interview with badlands, Sven and I explore the country’s economic reforms, social changes, and regional geopolitics, with insights into the transformation from oil dependence to a more diversified and open society.

Sven also offers a preview of his brand new book, Kingdom in Motion, his personal account of his decade inside the machinery of the Saudi state.

In the free segment of the episode, I discuss the FlyDubai and the UK airbase incidents, as well as the what appears to be a major build-up of US military forces in the Persian Gulf region.

Additionally, in an interview with India’s NewsX World, I assess the global media varied coverage of the FlyDubai incident.

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