Now that the fanfare and spin from Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s visit to Washington has faded, it is important to gauge what the trip actually accomplished. Please join the Middle East Institute’s Dr. Gregory Gause, Ambassador Michael Ratney, and Dr. Karen Young—all of whom recently traveled to Riyadh—for an assessment of Saudi policy and the US-Saudi relationship in the wake of the MBS visit.
This panel will be held at the Middle East Institute's Headquarters, located at 1763 N St NW, Washington, D.C., 20036.
If you cannot join us in-person, please click here to attend virtually.
Speaker Biographies
Amb. (ret.) Michael Ratney
Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Department of State
Dr. Karen E. Young
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
F. Gregory Gause III
Visiting Scholar, Middle East Institute
Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator)
Vice President for Policy, Middle East Institute
Extended Speaker Biographies
Amb. (ret.) Michael Ratney served for over three decades as a distinguished US diplomat and has been at the center of high-profile diplomatic initiatives throughout the Middle East. Prior to serving as US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ratney served as the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy to Israel in 2021, where he was responsible for conduct of US diplomacy with Israel, as well as diplomatic engagement with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Dr. Karen E. Young is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she leads the Economics and Energy Initiative. She is also a senior research scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. A political economist, her work focuses on the Gulf and broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with particular attention to the intersection of energy, finance, and security.
F. Gregory Gause III is a Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. and Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, from which he retired in January 2025. From fall 2014 through summer 2022 he served as Head of the School’s Department of International Affairs.
Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator) is Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute. Dr. Pollack began his career as a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and served twice on the National Security Council, first as director for Near East and South Asian affairs and then as director for Persian Gulf affairs.