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Saudis Look Beyond Oil to New Economy in Desert
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Jul 17, 2008 09:41am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
| News Date | Thursday, July 17, 2008 03:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By Faiza Saleh Ambah
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, July 17, 2008; Page A01
MEDINA, Saudi Arabia -- Clouds of yellow dust swirled in the air as tractors moved back and forth, leveling a huge, barren piece of land dotted with billboards announcing the city that will rise from the sand here.
Over the next few years, Saudi officials say this stretch of desert will be transformed into a buzzing hub of scientific research and development, with cutting-edge universities, hospitals and housing for more than 130,000 people attracted by the idea of living in the city where Islam's prophet Muhammad is buried.
The project, called Knowledge Economic City, represents a first serious step by Saudi Arabia toward building a post-petroleum economy. It is one of six major industrial centers planned to rise over the next 15 years. At a cost of more than $100 billion, the sites are expected to provide housing and jobs for the country's fast-growing population, half of which is younger than 21.
These cities-from-scratch are the most ambitious projects to date launched by a kingdom enriched almost entirely by oil since its disparate regions were unified into a state more than seven decades ago. In beginning to construct an economy to survive the end of its natural resources, the Saudi government is drawing on lessons learned during a previous oil boom when profits were squandered in part by spendthrift princes and short-term planning that emphasized infrastructure over education. |
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