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Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power by Justin Scheck, Bradley Hope
ericblair's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. A fascinating story and considering MBS is likely to be in power for decades, an important read. Would recommend and probably read again.
misterfix's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Good information but was somewhat disjointed and repetitive.
___puddin's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
A truely juicy investigative piece. Countless scandals to sink your teeth into, written in accessible language. A Royal Court like no other I've heard of, with power shuffles and oustings and family dramas with Billion Dollar consequences.
The inclusion of the major members of the family at the beginning and the Major Cast if Characters really helped in the initial stage of reading this to help me gather my bearings.
Highly recommend, even if you're not usually into non fiction. This honestly reads like fantasy at times.
The inclusion of the major members of the family at the beginning and the Major Cast if Characters really helped in the initial stage of reading this to help me gather my bearings.
Highly recommend, even if you're not usually into non fiction. This honestly reads like fantasy at times.
george_odera's review against another edition
4.0
Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is the 6th son of the 25th son of the founding king of Saudi Arabia . So he wasn't exactly predestined to rule. Moreover he was not he was not an especially impressive young man; unlike his elder brothers, he never studied abroad, ran a company, or served in the army. Yet MBS was the apple of his father Salman's eye. Salman would become king in 2015, and his ascension would prove to be the kite string that lifted his son's ambitions aloft.
King Salman put his son in charge of the economy and defence, but there were still other royals between MBS and the throne. That didn’t last long. King Salman, who is now fading, made him deputy crown prince. Two years later MBS pushed aside his older cousin, Muhammad bin Nayef, to become crown prince.
MBS's ambitions and tunnel vision knows no bounds, and doomed is he who stands in the way, as evidenced by the ruthlessness with which he exercises power: Saudi Arabia’s intervention in neighbouring Yemen, a brainchild of the Prince, has created a humanitarian disaster. His decision to lock up hundreds of Saudi tycoons in a luxury hotel until they handed over chunks of their fortunes alienated outside investors. He in effect kidnapped the prime minister of Lebanon in 2017 and forced him to resign. But perhaps the most well-known tale of MBS's autocracy was the killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident columnist, inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018. To prevent such incidents from happening again the prince set up a committee to reform the intelligence service. Naturally, he put himself in charge of it.
The book is an epic tale of a prince with loft ambitions. He has instituted social reforms that have given women rights that were erstwhile unavailable to them, neutered the influence of the intolerant moral police and religious clerics, and opened up to the world a kingdom that has long been an autarky. His economic reforms are centred around weaning Saudi Arabia off it's dependence on oil. But for all of these progressive changes, political rights and freedom of speech remain unattainable in Saudi Arabia.
The book is well-written and its tale captivatingly told. But my biggest sore point is that the book is not referenced and doesn't cite its sources.
King Salman put his son in charge of the economy and defence, but there were still other royals between MBS and the throne. That didn’t last long. King Salman, who is now fading, made him deputy crown prince. Two years later MBS pushed aside his older cousin, Muhammad bin Nayef, to become crown prince.
MBS's ambitions and tunnel vision knows no bounds, and doomed is he who stands in the way, as evidenced by the ruthlessness with which he exercises power: Saudi Arabia’s intervention in neighbouring Yemen, a brainchild of the Prince, has created a humanitarian disaster. His decision to lock up hundreds of Saudi tycoons in a luxury hotel until they handed over chunks of their fortunes alienated outside investors. He in effect kidnapped the prime minister of Lebanon in 2017 and forced him to resign. But perhaps the most well-known tale of MBS's autocracy was the killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident columnist, inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018. To prevent such incidents from happening again the prince set up a committee to reform the intelligence service. Naturally, he put himself in charge of it.
The book is an epic tale of a prince with loft ambitions. He has instituted social reforms that have given women rights that were erstwhile unavailable to them, neutered the influence of the intolerant moral police and religious clerics, and opened up to the world a kingdom that has long been an autarky. His economic reforms are centred around weaning Saudi Arabia off it's dependence on oil. But for all of these progressive changes, political rights and freedom of speech remain unattainable in Saudi Arabia.
The book is well-written and its tale captivatingly told. But my biggest sore point is that the book is not referenced and doesn't cite its sources.
meekoh's review against another edition
5.0
Blood, power, and money. It’s basically modern-day Game of Thrones.