A review by razhamdani
Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East by Kim Ghattas

4.0

Read this book if you want to know how iran/saudia arbia bring out the worst instincts in each other and this cycle feeds into the paranoia and lust for power inherent to them. Several countries -> pakistan, syria, irqa , lebanon, egypt & yemen got engulfed into this war, which exacerbated the local dynamics as well. Some interesting takeaway include Khomeini's rise to power (got rid of Imam Sadr?), Zia sending sunni militias to kill shia tribsmen in 1987 (first state sanctioned sectarian hit in muslim history), MBS tightening the screws over the kingdom from 2015 (got rid of JKh?), the brave millennial activists in iran/saudia demanding more freedoms from their governments.

the narrative is easy going, the complexities of the region fully respected.
the writer is hopeful about the future and i hope stays that way which would reflect in her later work.
Strong recommendation.