Is the Middle East entering a new golden age?

Loulou sits down with one of the most well-connected geopolitical economists working today for a structural read on the region recorded as the US-Iran 60-day MOU process opened, Strait of Hormuz traffic restarted, the IMEC corridor returned to the working-group table and Saudi Arabia pivoted NEOM capital into AI infrastructure. The episode is built to hold whether the ceasefire holds or slips: Middlebrook's read is 10 to 20 years out, not week to week.

Dr. Peter Middlebrook is the CEO of Geopolicity and has advised the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations, the British Government, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office, and governments across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. He is the author of two new books in 2026: "How to Make Britain Great Again" and "Rich Student, Poor Student."

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Chapters:

1:43 The US-Iran ceasefire, the Hormuz reopening and the return to business
3:58 Why Dubai is a replacement for New York
9:40 Why the Gulf is no longer a single bloc
16:34 IMEC explained: Mumbai to Jebel Ali to Piraeus
19:02 MENA youth unemployment: NEET and the 30% problem
21:20 White-collar work, debt, social protection and the climax of capitalism
25:20 Hybrid governance: phones, governments and the Sixth Estate
33:48 Saudi's pivot from megaprojects to AI data centers
36:41 Why society itself has to change
41:16 China, state capitalism and the West losing the critical raw materials race
46:15 Albania appointed an AI minister: why the Gulf is next
47:10 Closing: a long-term investor's case for the Middle East

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Dr. Peter Middlebrook
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-middlebrook-14477018/

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What happens to your job when the most powerful companies in the world are laying off thousands of people not because they are failing, but because they are betting on AI instead, and your region is also in a war that is reshaping who can hire and who has to cut?

In this episode of With Loulou, Loulou Khazen Baz sits down with Justin McGuire, Founder and CEO of MCG Talent, the Middle East's leading recruitment firm for marketing, communications, creative, product, data and digital talent.

They get into the specific role Justin removed from his own firm and rebuilt with ChatGPT, why the people who feel safest in their seats are actually the most exposed, the one LinkedIn move that lands an offer, and the playbook he gives fresh graduates to land three offers in a market where 65% of UAE professionals now say finding a role has become harder.

For students, fresh graduates and anyone navigating a redundancy in 2026, Loulou and Justin close with what AI-native actually means in the workplace, why "knowing how to prompt ChatGPT" is not enough, and which careers in MENA are still hiring at premium salaries this quarter.

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Chapters:
05:10 The GCC is no longer a place of safety. It is still a place of opportunity.
08:43 The war pressed fast-forward on AI: how employers are actually responding
12:46 Where the marcom briefs are going: creative directors yes, graphic designers no
14:05 The fragile middle: 5 to 8 year managers under fire
17:34 Why the GCC is three years behind Silicon Valley on AI
23:04 The role Justin replaced with ChatGPT (and the lawyer he stopped using)
28:43 The micro-niche business: the winning shape for the AI era
33:28 The LinkedIn secret weapon: comment, do not just post
39:54 Don't apply for jobs on LinkedIn. Here is what to do instead.
42:13 Side projects: the AI portfolio that landed the hire
47:09 Antifragile: using the shock to come out stronger
53:40 The middle-management lifestyle trap
59:03 The 50+ side door: the access older candidates have that nobody else does

Follow Loulou Khazen
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LinkedIn: /louloukhazen
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Justin McGuire
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jumcguire/

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Where do you put your money in the Gulf right now? Loulou sits down with one of the UAE's most experienced investors to read the region as it actually is in June 2026: the regional war still the dominant story, the World Cup just under way and more.

HE Faisal Belhoul is a veteran Emirati investor and entrepreneur, former Vice Chair of Dubai Chambers, and chairman of UAE second-division football club Fursan Hispania (co-built with Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado). He has been one of the most consistent backers of operators building global businesses out of Dubai for two decades.

For students, fresh graduates and aspiring founders, Belhoul closes with the single quality he backs in founders, the apprentice model he believes in, and the line he was given by a founder he is mentoring: "I eat 'no' for breakfast."

Chapters:

01:57 - The Three Big Stories of the Week
03:15 - Football as a Family Affair: 22 Years Waiting for Arsenal
5:28 - Mohamed Salah and Football's Soft Power
16:38 - Why Sport Survives the AI Era
20:52 - Dubai Chambers and the Private Sector's Role
26:29 - How Moove Grew From $10M to $400M Revenue
36:43 - Can Expats Still Build a Life Here at 60?
38:10 - Golden Visas and What Comes Next
43:01 - INJAZ and the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
44:44 - The One Founder Trait Belhoul Backs: Perseverance

Follow Loulou Khazen
Instagram: /louloukhazen
LinkedIn: /louloukhazen
X (Twitter): /louloukhazen

Follow the guests
HE Faisal Belhoul
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisalbelhoul/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faisalbelhoulofficial/

Also available on
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