Mohammed bin Salman's Ascent to Global Power: An Analysis of the Saudi Crown Prince's Pursuit of Influence

gilly: A detailed and concerning analysis of the power Saudi Arabia has in world economics and politics. This book left me feeling deeply uncomfortable and concerned about the concentration of power in the hands of a few powerful individuals.

United Kingdom on Nov 07, 2023

joe carey: Very good and informative read and story well researched and told which I highly recommend a book that gives you business, politics and other topics all in one riveting read.

United Kingdom on Aug 22, 2023

Jonathan: amazing book - one of the best

United Kingdom on Jun 28, 2023

marco v.: Bellissimo libro che ho trovato grazie ad Amazon. Grazie

Italy on May 21, 2023

Kindle Customer: I was hooked on the book and the amount of information it had pertaining to the politics in the Al Saud family and in the Saudi cabinet . This well researched and explained , giving a balanced view of MBS admist his accusations and arrest made within the family itself . I have learned so much from this book . It was bittersweet. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the SA politics. I only had some knowledge through YouTube videos not sure which one was credible . This books is very well put together and gave a great overall view of picture with very personal details of the story

United States on May 10, 2023

Andrew michelmore: A fascinating background on the rise of MBS but reads like a collection of papers - too much repetition and inclusion of sentences and paragraphs that detract rather than contribute to the history/understanding

United States on Mar 18, 2023

M. E. Nunn: This book presents an in-depth look at Mohammed bin Salman and his rise to become crown prince of Saudi Arabia. It also shows how shallow the man is and how little he understands about the world outside the kingdom--particularly democracies around the world. Of course, after the brutal murder of Jamal Kashoggi, it became pretty obvious that the man was incredibly thin-skinned. This book actually shows that MBS is even WORSE than most Americans could imagine or fathom!

This is a MUST READ for anyone who stil believes that MBS might be "okay". He's NOT!

United States on Jul 01, 2021

Debjit Sengupta: A man has an uncounted wealth at his disposal. The source of his wealth is never dried. The guarantee for life is the incessant flow of cash and so are the perks and benefits. In other words, he has a surfeit of everything. The man is lucky to be blessed with such a life. Imagine yourself in his position. What you would have done with so much wealth. You would spend on exotic vacations. You would spend on shopping. You would spend on luxury items. You would spend it at a party. You would indulge in everything that you desired. The wealth and security provide you with a dream life. It seems as if your abode is in heaven. It is no illusion, indeed super-rich of Saudi Arabia had been living this life, and the majority of them belong to the royal family. This continued for more than five decades until they were hit by a tornado. The name of the tornado is Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, colloquially known as MBS and he is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. He has a vision, guts, and determination to overhaul the socio-economic lifestyle of Saudi Arabia. He has an intimidating presence at home and dared to eradicate corruption and thereby confronting the rich and powerful. He once said,...

India on May 25, 2021

BooksAreWings: 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...

United States on Feb 08, 2021

Kristi Hoss Schiller: Blood and Oil is a gripping work of investigative journalism about one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders. The authors share MBS's precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of U.S.-Saudi relations for more than eighty years: oil in exchange 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.

United States on Sep 07, 2020