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Political & government system, government and administrative structure, foreign, domestic policy, international activity and more. Updated annually ... Read more

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The Ministry of Information publishes this book, hoping it will contribute in enlightening the public on Saudi Arabia, and acquaint people with information about the country, its leadership and government and role among nations. Contents: Historical Background; Geography and Climate; Economic and Social Development; Riyadh; Jeddah; Makkah; Medina; Dammam; Al Hasa; Taif; Bureida; Abha; Hail; Tabuk. Photographs throughout. ... Read more

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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Saudi Arabia, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with nearly thirty-eight thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Saudi Arabia, its economy, Riyadh, terrorism, OPEC, oil, and energy, and much more.

This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 38,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material.

Our news and educational discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc format makes a great reference work and educational tool. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust. ... Read more

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Chapters: Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, Sabic, Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, Dhahran Airfield, Ghawar Field, Udhailiyah, Ali Al-Naimi, Trans-Arabian Pipeline, Thomas Barger, Qatif Project, Shaybah, Aramco Brats, Vela International Marine, Khalid A. Al-Falih, Gas Oil Separation Plant, Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization, Abdullah S. Jum'ah, Khurais Oil Field, Saudi Aramco World, Max Steineke, Tanajib, Saudi Aramco Beach, Expec Advanced Research Center, Aramco Financial Services Company, Saudi Petroleum International, Saudi Refining, Aramco Training Services Company, Sar201, Aramco Associated Company. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 112. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, casually known by its inhabitants as the Dhahran Camp, is the residential community built by Saudi Aramco for its employees. It is located within the city of Dhahran (Arabic al-dhahrn) in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The Dhahran residential camp is a fenced-in company compound and only Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents may live inside. It is located near the US consulate as well as the Dhahran military airbase, which is located in an area that formerly housed the domestic and international air terminals for the Eastern Province. All commercial air passenger operations have since been moved to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The Dhahran camp (Aramco code: DH) is one of three original expatriate oil company compounds or "districts" in the east of the country, along with the camps in Ras Tanura (the refinery and port), and Abqaiq (also Buqayq). Later, other Saudi Aramco compounds were built, such as Udhailiyah, Safaniyah and Tanajib. More recently, the company established housing areas in various other Saudi...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=483626 ... Read more

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The U.S. government considers the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a vital partner in combating terrorism. The strong diplomatic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, founded more than 70 years ago, was strained by the Al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, that were carried out in large part by Saudi nationals and killed thousands of U.S. citizens. GAO was asked to report on (1) the U.S. government strategy to collaborate with and assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism and terrorism financing, and (2) U.S. government agencies' assessment of and the Saudi government's views on progress toward the goals of this strategy. ... Read more

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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Saudi Arabia, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with nearly thirty-eight thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Saudi Arabia, its economy, Riyadh, terrorism, OPEC, oil, and energy, and much more.

This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 38,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material.

Our news and educational discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc format makes a great reference work and educational tool. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust. ... Read more

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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Saudi Arabia, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with nearly thirty-eight thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Saudi Arabia, its economy, Riyadh, terrorism, OPEC, oil, and energy, and much more.

This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 38,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material.

Our news and educational discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc format makes a great reference work and educational tool. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust. ... Read more

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This outstanding set of comprehensive reports about 101 important countries by the Library of Congress covers subjects such as country, geography, society, economy, transportation and communications, government and politics, and national security. The impressive Country Profiles are accompanied by extensive Glossary and Bibliography features. Supplemental material accompanying the Country Profiles includes photographs, tables, charts, graphs, and maps.

In its description of these reports, the Library of Congress states: "[These reports were] previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Army... the original intent of the Series' sponsor was to focus primarily on lesser known areas of the world or regions in which U.S. forces might be deployed. Notable omissions include Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and other Western nations, as well as a number of African nations. The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards of scholarly objectivity. Information contained in the Country Studies On-Line is not copyrighted and thus is available for free and unrestricted use by researchers."

Representative subheadings for Geography include Physical Environment, Topography, Climate, andEnvironmental Issues; subheadings for Society sections include Historical Setting, specific Historical periods, Society and its Environment, Geography, Population, Language, Structure of Society, Ethnic Groups, Religion and Culture, Rural Life, Migration, Urban Life, Architecture, The Arts, Education, and Social Dynamics; and subheadings for Economy sections include Growth and Structure, Role of Government, Agriculture, Industry, Infrastructure, and Foreign Economic Relations.Representative subheadings for Government and Politics sections include Constitutional Background, Government Institutions, Political Dynamics, Interest Groups, Parties, Mass Communications, Human Rights, and Foreign Relations. Subheadings for National Security include Military Role in Society, Armed Forces, Military Education, Training, and Rules of Conduct, Security Forces, Foreign Military Influence and Assistance, Threats to Internal Security, and Crime and Punishment.

Please see the Table of Contents tab for a full list of the countries included in these studies.

Our CD-ROMs are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat PDF format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed. Vast archives of important government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review. This CD-ROM makes an ideal reference work and educational tool, and is indispensable for any researcher, student, or historian! ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of a particular form of absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is both head of state and the head of government, but where decisions are to a large extent made on the basis of consultation among the senior princes, with the King functioning as primus inter pares and ultimate arbiter. The Basic Law adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the male descendants of King Abd Al Aziz Al Saud, and that the Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a). ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (34)

needs to be read critically
this could be a good, well written and enjoyable book about saudi arabia... had it not been for the following two issues:

(1) mr bradley had developed the 'expert newbie' syndrome. after a few years in saudi arabia, which is probably one of the least (ideologically) accessible countries to foreigners, he puts himself in and writes from a position of authority on the country, which title, by his writing, he had most probably not deserved yet. this is very typical of western expats in the ksa who like to think they are smart enough to be 'in the know' after very limited exposure

(2) mr bradley's writing is a self fulfilling prophecy - he sees the country for what he would like to see it for, instead of what it is. his treatise of the subject is truthful but extremely one-sided. it is not the truth about saudi arabia, but only part of the truth. the problem is, mr bradley, for whatever reason, tries to masquerade it as if it were the whole truth

bearing these two points in mind, i think it is an interesting piece, reads well and also very informative, but needs to be read very critically

Saudi Arabia : A Confusing Place
Saudi Arabia, a place of half hearted loyalties and a struggle for power John R. Bradley tells several intriguing stories of the power struggle between the Al Said royal family and the Wahabi clerics who have the willing ears of the masses. Particularly touching is the story of one of his students who on one hand befriends Bradley, than speaks of hating and wanting to kill Americans and only using Bradley to gain insights into the infidel American. This is the confusing and constrictive rope that men like Bradley walk, in one moment a friend, but in another moment an enemy crucified by a propaganda war that has consumed much of the Saudi lower class youth.

Through a Glass Darkly
Perhaps on a sunny day I might have given it a 3-star rating.Unlike much of the Saudi-bashing literature available, John Bradley not only actually visited Saudi Arabia, he lived there for 2-3 years.Furthermore, he did travel around the country, giving the reader a feeling that there is much more than just a monolithic "Saudi" culture and attitude.There are the "flower men" of the Asir; there is the region of the far north, the Al Jawf basin; the Shiites of the Eastern province; and, of course, the "liberal' Hijaz, where he lived, as opposed to the conservative, "Wahhabi" heartland, the Nedj. When he focuses on a problem or a deficiency of Saudi society, occasionally, but only occasionally, he does make the point that the same problem exists in the West, for example when he is discussing the exploitation of foreign workers (p.122), he does say that it is a universal problem, and specifically singles out the United States as an offender. I also thought that if I had worked at the "Arab News," with the exigencies imposed on its numerous workers from the Indian sub-continent, perhaps I'd be in a foul mood also. But he does make some illuminating points regarding his journalist work, when he amusingly states that Thomas Friedman and Daniel Pipes see a "change in the Arab mindset" in reading the Arab News, yet it is actually Bradley who is writing the article. (p188)

The tone of the book, and certainly the attitude of the author, is established by the book's black cover, and the titillation of the title, "Saudi Arabia Exposed," another "ripping the veil asunder." He plays to that angle with statements like, in reference to foreigners:"....and were limited, (as were all foreigners, until recently) to traveling in only approved areas." (xii of the Introduction).Yet thousands and thousands of expatriates traveled freely throughout the country, going anywhere (save for Makkah and Medina for non-Muslims) since the `70's. Did he not ask one?He claims to be an Arabic speaker, yet translates the popular TV show, "Tash ma Tash" as "No big deal"!He had the opportunity to explain the title's antecedents, but apparently did not understand them. He describes the backwater that was Jeddah of the `30's (p10) as the "most cosmopolitan city of the Muslim world."What of Istanbul, Baghdad, Cairo and Tehran? He makes blanket assertions describing the Kingdom as: "it is a second-rate totalitarian regime incorporating some primitive feudal traditions. (p 157).He speaks much of the corruption and incompetence in the Kingdom, but never asks the question, is there more corruption and more incompetence in Washington, DC.

So I'd give Bradley some points for at least occasionally raising the comparative issues between Saudi and Western cultures, and not always assuming that the Western ones are superior, though his biases are clear. Overall though, he suffers from that smug journalist occupational hazard of visiting one place once, conducting an interview with someone who may or may not be telling him what he wants to hear, and then thinking that he understands the situation, because, well, if he did not, then he would not be a good journalist.

Important Subject Matter Poorly Handled
With the amount of attention the country gets in the western press, you'd think that there would be a metric ton of decent books out there on the modern history of Saudi Arabia. You'd be wrong.

This one by journalist John Bradley was recommended as a good one, since he was one of the few western journalists inside Saudi at the time of the 9/11 attacks he did have unqiue access. Too bad he can't write to save his life. The chronology of the book is confused. The sentence stucture is often awful, and what is often meant to be a telling detail instead comes off as contrived. I am shocked that he has written for publications like the Economist.

Though the writing is poor, in Bradley's defense, this book is at least somewhat balanced, and he clearly has a real affection for the culture and some of the people he met there. This isn't jingositic western propoganda (like much of what is written about Saudi) but it also isn't a very good book.

InsightfulPortrayal Of The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
Bradley is a journalist who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for more than 2 years. This book describes what he observed, obviously from a Western perspective, while living there. Some of what he discusses has been covered in other books. For example, the strict segregation of men and women, the brutal public executions and the extreme corruption and hypocrisy of the Saudi royal family. He also mentions the poor education and professional training received by most Saudi citizens which requires the country to be dependent on foreign workers. Many of these workers are people from poor countries such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines who do the "dirty jobs" that, supposedly, Saudis don't want to do themselves. But I find this questionable since Bradley also describes the high rate of unemployment among Saudi citizens and the fact that many of them live in poverty while the Saudi royals bask in the enormous wealth generated by the oil business.

Bradley also talks about the good qualities of the typical Saudi person, such as kindness, hospitality and generosity. There are certain Western right-wingers and Christian zealots who have an anti-Muslim agenda and are clearly biased in their writings. But Bradley doesn't strike me as that sort of person. I think he is simply trying to explain his experiences in Saudi Arabia with as much honesty and truth as possible. Of course, he is seeing the country from the point of view of a non-Muslim Westerner. But that doesn't mean he is necessarily wrong in what he is saying.

However, what really takes this book to the "5 stars" level for me is that he elaborates on the regionally based political and cultural differences in the kingdom. He talks about the Hijaz area, including Jeddah, as having a long history as an international center of trade which makes it somewhat more liberal and sophisticated than the rest of the country. The southern region is called Asir and includes people who, in many ways, have more in common with the neighboring country of Yemen than with their fellow Saudis. Finally, there is the Eastern province which is largely made up of Shiite Muslims who, like the people from Hijaz and Asir, often finds themselves at odds with the Wahhabi dominated central region which includes the royal family and the Wahhabi religious establishment that controls the country politically. In other words, Saudi Arabia is a complex and diverse society with people from a variety of religious and cultural perspectives who are seeking to challenge the hold on power by the Wahhabis and the royal family. This is not the picture provided to the broader American public, who tend to recognize that the royals are corrupt but still see them as the lesser of two evils when compared to the Osama allied extremists. Obviously, the situation there is more complicated than most people think.

I actually came away feeling at least a little more optimistic about the future, or at least the potential, of the country. But, of course, Saudi Arabia still faces a tremendous amount of problems and what happens there will continue to be of vital importance to the rest of us, especially considering that the Saudis have 1/4 of the world's known supply of petroleum. ... Read more

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This updated edition analyses the challenges, both internal and external, facing Saudi Arabia in the twenty-first century. Two new chapters discuss the political, economic and social developments in the aftermath of 9/11, painting a vivid picture of a country shocked by terrorism and condemned by the international community. Madawi Al-Rasheed reveals that fragmentation of royal politics, a failing economy and fermenting Islamist dissent posed serious threats to state and society in 2001. She assesses the consequent state reforms introduced under pressure of terrorism, international scrutiny and a social mobilisation of men, women and minorities struggling to shape their future against a background of repression and authoritarian rule. While Saudi Arabia is still far from establishing a fourth state, there are signs that the people are ready for a serious change that will lead them to a state of institutions rather than princes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fresh Perspective on Nation/State building
The Saud family is the monarchy, which is the state, of Saudi Arabia. This book shows how that state of affairs came to be.

I found the material on the 1930s especially illuminating, because it provides us with a picture of the Saud family, and to a degree a picture of Arabia, before the rest of the world came to appreciate the strategic significance of petroleum, and before the Second World War made all national boundaries something up for negotiation and renegotiation.

We're also treated to an illuminating dicussion of when marriages (and by extension polygamy) is, and when it isn't, a valuable tool for the forging of political alliances. This is an analytical take on a subject usually rushed through with cliches. ... Read more

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There are few countries governed more closely by the strictures of Islam than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ironically, as historian Joshua Teitelbaum points out in this trenchant and timely book, radical Islamic fundamentalists such as Osama bin Laden, whom the U.S. believes to be behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, still pose the most substantial security threat to the ruling Al Sa'ud family, guardians of Islam's two holiest shrines and the world's largest source of oil.

Composed of both mainstream Sunni and minority Shi'i radicals, Saudi Arabia's Islamic opposition poses a new and original threat to the Al Sa'ud by questioning the legitimacy of the family's longstanding claim to govern according to Islamic shari'a law. Indeed, the radical fundamentalists stand poised to shake the public image of Saudi Arabia as the only Islamic country to have achieved a successful marriage between tradition and modernity. In this book, Teitelbaum analyzes the social, political, and economic roots of the Saudi opposition, giving sorely needed context to the phenomenon of bin Laden.

But bin Ladin and his supporters in Saudi Arabia do not simply represent a challenge to the Saudi system of government. On the contrary, the entire Islamic opposition poses a real threat to the Saudi royal family and to U.S. forces that provide a security umbrella to the Saudis and other Gulf countries. Even before September 11, radical fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia left their violent mark in bloody terrorist acts such as the 1995 attack on a U.S. military mission in Riyadh and the 1996 al-Khobar Towers bombing against U.S. forces in Dhahran. Indeed, the future of U.S.-Saudi relations, which since September 11 have become of primary concern to all Americans, hinges upon a deeper understanding of the severe Islamic troubles that plague the Saudi regime. ... Read more

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Saudi Arabia is an enigma to most Americans. The country is home to Islam’s holiest sites and the world’s largest proven oil reserves. A strategic partner to the U.S. in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is also the homeland of Osama bin Laden, and -fifteen of the nineteen hijackers who attacked the United States on Septem-ber 11, 2001. Although officially considered a "moderate" Islamic state by the U.S., Saudia Arabia enforces the same state religious ideology as did the Taliban.

In Saudi Arabia & the U.S., Arab American scholar As`ad AbuKhalil examines Saudi society, its history, religion, and ethnic tribalism, and the shared interests, tensions, and con-tradictions inherent in U.S.-Saudi relations.

As`ad AbuKhalil is the author of Bin Laden, Islam, and America’s New "War on Terrorism."

Customer Reviews (6)

Smart Book & Accurate Research
Other than the small form factor of the book this book has a multitude of information about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I personally agree strongly with the conclusionsof the book and I'm convinced they are based in the strong reality that the Saudi economy is based solely on oil revenues.

I have lived in the kingdom for more than a year and fully comprehend the authors views and conclusions about what is transpiring there.

As woman CEO who has Advised since '81:BRILLIANT
This book is a brilliant and concise analysis of the Kingdom.As one who has consulted to the Royal Family (King Fahd was investor in a major wheat and dairy project for which my firm served as Strategists--based in the World Trade Center, how ironic now--not only did the Min of Ag and Water have to lie about the CEO being a woman but for years the joint venture itself (Irish and Saudi) often denied and minimized our Pan-Gulf Strategy success, our financial structuring (one of largest IPOs in 20 yrs), my very existence.This book reveals--and I have read 30 texts including historical analyses that get lost in the minutia of tribal rivalry--how flawed the very thinking of the powerful Saud family is:except for Khalid the SAud Family is not religious, not very Islamic (gambling, London cruising/procuring of prostitutes, etc), and certainly never subsribers to Wahhabi fundamentalism themselves--has co-opted the religious powers for money such that the mullas export the fundatmentalist furry rather than focus on the family itself.
AbuKhalil's book is among the very best I had read on Saudi.

Tediously Familiar Leftist Intellectual Litany
As Stephen Schwartz has said before, AbuKhalil, a representative of the American academic Left and a Lebanese-born academic who teaches at California State University/Stanislaus, attempts in this small volume to explain to his ideological constituency such matters as the history of Wahhabism, the relationship of the Saudi state to Al-Qaeda, the current crisis of the Saudi kingdom, and the resulting challenges to regional and global peace and order.

This commission could not have been a plum assignment. The oppression, corruption, and extremism of the Saudi monarchy are by now so notorious that to make the case that the United States and neoconservatives are prone to unjust interfering with the Riyadh rulers requires a real talent. It means detailing grotesque inhumanities but blaming them all on the United States and Israel, as well as on colonial rulers past and the fantastical specter of "Orientalism."

AbuKhalil does not disappoint. He derides Western authors (this one included), who have exposed the bloody past of Wahhabi Islam, as "Orientalists" (a flattering description, in my view). He recapitulates the Wahhabi historical time line but adds nothing to what is already known, except for occasional flings into the typical Western academic idiom, aimed at softening or explaining away Wahhabi extremism. Thus, the main Wahhabi-Saudi theologian in the second half of the twentieth century, Ibn Baz, "may not have been as principled in his hostility to Jews and Christians as his earlier edicts may have led us to believe." To identify the anti-Jewish and anti-Christian bigotry of Ibn Baz with a "principled" position might seem sycophantic but it fits the prevailing ethos on American campuses.

The author presents himself as the revealer of authentic Saudi reality, but his portrait of the country differs from that described by the most acute critics of the kingdom only in its ideological vocabulary. After enumerating the usual atrocities and undeniable instabilities, AbuKhalil has no solution to offer aside from condemning, yes, Washington neoconservatives for provoking "fanatical and radical forces" in Iraq, and thereby threatening the Saudi state.

The litany is tediously familiar: America was wrong to enable Saudi tyranny, just as it is wrong to try to end it. The Battle for Saudi Arabia is not of use to those hoping to learn about Saudi Arabia. Its only value is to provide insight into current leftist intellectual gymnastics.

Lots of flaws
This very small book is a quick, quite superficial overview of the Saudi royals -- material better covered in Murawiec's 'Princes of Darkness' and in Schwartz's 'Two faces of Islam' among other options. It is, for example, surprisingly generic and non-specific when alleging human rights violations,corruption, etc.

In addition, it is not particularly well written, or perhaps not well-edited -- occasionally one can get away with starting a sentence 'And...' but not constantly. Reads like a college term paper more than a professional work, at times.

I also have to say - having read more than a dozen books on aspects of the Middle East, I am still waiting for one author of Arab heritage to be anything other than virulently, belligerently anti-Israel. Jewish and Israeli authors seem to bend over backwards to give at least some small nod to the Arab, Muslim, or Palestinian point of view, even if they then try to discredit it. The shrill polemics of even educated,'Westernized'Arabs inevitably casts doubt on their other observations. Although it is a very small note in this book, it was there in the usual strident neon.

Inside Saudi Arabia
AbuKhalil is a political science professor who writes the Angry Arab News Service. This book chronicles the history of Saudi Arabia and its ruling ideology, Wahabbi Islam, then continues as a stinging critique of the present day regime and the complete lack of human rights in the kingdom. He shows the complete moral bankruptcy of the kingdom, and its close relationship with the United States, who has consistently supported the House of Saud in its treatment of their own population, and as a proxy to further American interests in the Islamic world, often to the long term detriment to American interests. The stranglehold the royal family, especially the sons of the states founder, has on the country is essential to understanding the political dynamics within the country, and this is a focal point of AbuKhalil's critique. It is fascinating how inter-family politics plays such a powerful role in the county's political life. His only mistake seems to be that he believes the new King Abdullah (who was Crown Prince when the book was written), would not become king, since he is not a son of the first wife, unlike the so-called Sudayri Seven, the now deceased King Fahd and his six full brothers. However, these brothers still are the main power elites in the country, and they are getting really old. What happens when they're gone will truly be momentous for both Saudi Arabia and the world. A must read for those wanting a greater understanding of this very important country and close ally of the US, right now fighting what is close to be coming a civil war. ... Read more