Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power

Description

From award-winning Wall Street Journal reporters comes a revelatory look at the inner workings of the world's most powerful royal family, and how the struggle for succession produced Saudi Arabia's charismatic but ruthless Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS. ​ 35-year-old Mohammed bin Salman's sudden rise stunned the world. Political and business leaders such as former UK prime minister Tony Blair and WME chairman Ari Emanuel flew out to meet with the crown prince and came away convinced that his desire to reform the kingdom was sincere. He spoke passionately about bringing women into the workforce and toning down Saudi Arabia's restrictive Islamic law. He lifted the ban on women driving and explored investments in Silicon Valley. But MBS began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants and public relations experts like McKinsey & Company. The allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out, including that he ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While stamping out dissent by holding 300 people, including prominent members of the Saudi royal family, in the Ritz-Carlton hotel and elsewhere for months, he continued to exhibit his extreme wealth, including buying a $70 million chateau in Europe and one of the world's most expensive yachts. It seemed that he did not understand nor care about how the outside world would react to his displays of autocratic muscle—what mattered was the flex. Blood and Oil is a gripping work of investigative journalism about one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders. Hope and Scheck show how MBS' precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of US-Saudi relations for more than 80 years: oil, for military protection. Caught in his net are well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians, all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince. The Middle East is already a volatile region. Add to the mix an ambitious prince with extraordinary powers, hunger for lucre, a tight relationship with the White House through President Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, and an apparent willingness to break anything—and anyone—that gets in the way of his vision, and the stakes of his rise are bracing. If his bid fails, Saudi Arabia has the potential to become an unstable failed state and a magnet for Islamic extremists. And if his bid to transform his country succeeds, even in part, it will have reverberations around the world. Longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award Review: A fascinating story of the House of Saud, MBS, and his rise to power - So MBS is fascinating - and that’s well covered here - but one of the best things about this book is its detailed overview of the rise of the House of Saud and the explication of the succession rules of Saudi Arabia. These internal relationships and politics are key to the main story and character, and, although I’ve read up on Saudi history, I found this book a great insight into the workings of the family and the kingdom. You can easily read this with zero history of Saudi Arabia and gain a pretty substantive understanding on your way to the MBS story. MBS himself is drawn fairly clearly (as clearly as outsiders are likely to be able to do - no one’s about to write what he is thinking!) and the story from his rise to Crown Prince to the Khashoggi murder is gripping. The writers don’t pull punches, but show the conflict of a rise to modernism with practically medieval ways of wielding power very well without a heavy hand in judgment. Very readable, not crazy complex, but very thorough. My only issue would be with sidebars like the Carla DiBello story (not really germane to the storyline unless you expand on the many, many Westerners who use minor influence with major Saudi players to create whole careers) which feel like Bradley Hope really wanted to fit in that WSJ profile he wrote last year. The final ending is also abrupt, possibly quickly rewritten to update to pandemic times - but it would be great to hear some thoughts on what the future might bring. Still, wholeheartedly recommend as a great insight not so much into just one person, but into a family and a nation that wield massive global influence. Review: Worth the read - I enjoyed this book very much! I definitely can see this book, or MBS's life be turned into a tv series. MBS truly fits the stereotypical prince that we see in the movies. The author broke down the history and the perspectives. I just wished the author added more details and situations about MBS. I'd liked to read more about the details in the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the imprisonment of Salman al Oda. Other than that I was familiar with most of the reading material due to following MBS through the news and media. Definitely would recommend this book!