Dateline NBC

Dr. Phares, good evening.

Dr. WALID PHARES, PhD (Middle East Expert): Good evening, Ann.

CURRY: There are so many workers in Saudi Arabia–foreign workers–give us an idea just how many there are and how important they are to the Saudi economy.

Dr. PHARES: Well, most of the national economy of Saudi Arabia is based on the work of a large foreign population–40,000 Americans–skilled workers and engineers and executive directors out of a hundred other thousand of many other countries. That will be 10 percent of the working skill force of Saudi Arabia. But those hundred thousand, including the Americans, basically are in control or manages 80 percent of the oil-based economy of Saudi Arabia. It’s–it’s big.

CURRY: So if the killing of Paul Johnson and others in Saudi Arabia puts a chill in a lot of these foreign workers and they pull out, what does that mean to the Saudi economy and therefore what does it mean to the US economy and the price of oil?

Dr. PHARES: Well, let’s put it that way. Al-Qaeda’s main objective in this killing, barbaric killing, is basically to send a–as you said, a terror message to the others who will feel that they’re not really protected, even if the criminals will be sanctioned, as was the case this evening. But that would mean a crumbling of the main pillar of Saudi economy, and if Saudi economy would crumble, let’s not forget that the Saudis are great investors. They are part of our economy here in the West and in the United States as well.

CURRY: A sobering thought. Dr. Walid Phares, thank you so much this evening.

Dr. PHARES: Thank you.

CURRY: And we’ll be right back.