Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The US vetoed a UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, arguing it does not condemn Hamas nor grant "Israel" the right to “self-defense.”
Israeli occupation forces issue a new bombing threat against civilian buildings in the Southern Lebanese towns of Borj Qalaouiye and Chehabiyeh.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Extending the snapback mechanism deadline will test how independent Europeans truly are from the US.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Activating the snapback mechanism will nullify the Cairo Agreement, shut the door on cooperation between the IAEA and Tehran, and bar inspections.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: The diplomatic window remains open, but signs of activating the snapback sanctions mechanism on Iran are increasing.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Although the Cairo Agreement meets an important part of European demands, they have begun speaking of new conditions in recent communications.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: European countries show no independence in their stance toward Iran during the talks.
Israeli occupation forces issued bombing threats to bomb civilian buildings in Southern Lebanon.
Israeli media: Person behind shooting operation at Allenby Crossing is a Jordanian Army soldier.
Israeli media citing Emergency Services: Both wounded in Allenby shooting operation now dead.

NEOM: A weird desert dream that might never come true

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Bloomberg
  • 16 Jul 2022 23:32
  • 3 Shares
3 Min Read

NEOM, the dystopic city of Saudi Arabia, has a large budget but no real goals.

  • x
  • Informing MbS—he who oversaw the imprisonment of several members of his family—that his wishes could not be fulfilled.
    Neom: MBS' personal dystopia

Last September, Chris Hubbles Gray, an author who identifies himself as an anarchist, feminist, and revolutionary, residing in Santa Cruz, California, received an offer from Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. Gray had written extensively on cyborgs and the inevitable emergence of genetic engineering, according to a report by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Gray had never expected or received such an offer in his entire life, as he was only providing consulting services. Initially, the offer suggested a very large sum for him to research the aesthetics of basic science fiction works such as Blade Runner to be employed in the city of NEOM, MBS' personal dystopia. 

Mohammed bin Salman has touted NEOM as a masterpiece that would transform the Saudi Arabian economy and act as a test for emerging technology, with a $500 billion initial budget. 

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the inside of NEOM has elevators that seem to soar through the air, an urban spaceport, structures shaped like a double helix, long falcon wings, and a blooming flower.

The chosen area in Saudi Arabia's extreme northwest, which runs from the sun-baked Red Sea coast to the rocky hilly Badlands, is known for its hot summers and lack of fresh water. However, according to MBS and his advisors, it will soon become home to millions of people who will live in harmony with the environment, relying on desalination plants and a fully renewable electrical grid.

Related News

Saudi Arabia to reassess spending amid oil slump: Financial Times

Saudi Arabia's Neom secures $5bln deal for AI data center

Employees will profit from an advanced infrastructure and regulatory framework that are specifically created to encourage novel ideas, so long as those ideas do not involve contesting bin Salman's authority. The metropolis of NEOM appears to be one of MBS' top goals, and the Saudi state invests a significant amount of money in making it a reality.

Read more: Neom: MBS' personal dystopia

Even for a near-absolute monarch with access to a $620 billion sovereign wealth fund, bringing NEOM out of the realm of science fiction proved to be a difficult task five years after its inception, the report said.

The project has experienced setbacks, as per the report, many of which are brought on by the challenge of implementing MBS' constantly changing ideas and informing him—he who oversaw the imprisonment of several members of his own family—that his wishes could not be fulfilled, according to more than 25 current and former employees interviewed for this story and 2,700 pages of internal documents.

Despite this, the chaotic course of NEOM thus far implies that MBS' urban ideal and his more extensive goals for economic reform may not materialize.

NEOM offers the notion of an authoritarian regime that attracts international capital and has a certain allure for the Davos elite. For instance, among the foreign investors who supported the initiative were Steve Schwarzman and Masayoshi Son, the CEOs of Blackstone Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp.

See more: Neom: MBS' personal utopia dystopia

  • Neom
  • Saudi Arabia
  • MBS

Most Read

Why is Choose Love using a firm with British and US intelligence connections to run a pro-Palestine musical event? (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Together for Palestine: Troubling questions about the organisers of this huge event

  • Opinion
  • 17 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025
UKLFI’s latest faux pas, like "Israel’s" recent failed attempt at regime change in Iran, is unambiguously indicative of a flailing entity on the verge of extinction. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Zionist lawfare operation facing collapse?

  • Opinion
  • 13 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS