Editorial Review

According to Robert Baer, the center of the global economy is a "kingdom built on thievery, one that nurtures terrorism, destroys any possibility of a middle class based on property rights, and promotes slavery and prostitution." This kingdom also sits on one quarter of the world's oil reserves, thus ensuring that it receives the full support and protection of the U.S. government. Read more

Reviews (111)

Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
The book is very factual, but the writing stile is rather boring. Interesting to people who are involved in that region.

When our unquenchable thirst for oil must be satisfied, Washington goes the extra step to acquire it!
Robert Baer's second non-fiction book is another sobering call to the American consumer for rationality. Listen to this: When our unquenchable thirst for oil must be satisfied, Washington goes the extra step to acquire it!
Depressing Reality
This book by Robert Baer, the ex-CIA agent involved in the Syriana movie project w/George Cloony.The book is impassioned, and ultimately very depressing -- all the information in the book about Washington, Egypt & Saudi Arabia that we don't hear/see in the media has the ring of truth.And if the book is accurate, then Iraq and Lebanon are just the warm-up for bad stuff to come in the Middle East. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe    2. Foreign relations    3. History & Theory - General    4. International Relations - Trade & Tariffs    5. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    6. Petroleum industry and trade    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Saudi Arabia    12. United States    13. Current Events / General   

Reviews (69)

Saudi fields are maturing
This book is very repetitive and too long, but it does contains a lot of useful information about oil fields and the complex business of getting the oil out. From the facts laid out in this book there is little doubt that Saudi oil fields are maturing with years of dependence on massive water injection and in recent years horizontal drilling to maintain high production rates.The production curves included in the book for eight large fields oil fields outside Saudi Arabia, including Prudhoe Bay Alaska, are sobering.Clearly there is some risk that in the not too distant future Saudi oil production will begin to decline.
Good Book, Needs Editing and Polishing
The message in this book is right on--Saudi Arabia is probably not as flush with oil as the world thinks it is.Simmons' thesis is a sound one and he defends it well.
Saudi Oil
A great deal of technical information that was a little overpowering at times. Never the less it makes it's case compellingly and logically. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic History    5. Forecasting    6. General    7. Industries - Energy Industries    8. Petroleum industry and trade    9. Petroleum reserves    10. Saudi Arabia    11. Business & Economics / General    12. International economics    13. Management of land & natural resources    14. Petroleum & oil industries   

Editorial Review

This is the exciting and highly literate story of the real Lawrence of Arabia, as written by Lawrence himself, who helped unify Arab factions against the occupying Turkish army, circa World War I. Lawrence has a novelist's eye for detail, a poet's command of the language, an adventurer's heart, a soldier's great story, and his memory and intellect are at least as good as all those. Lawrence describes the famous guerrilla raids, and train bombings you know from the movie, but also tells of the Arab people and politics with great penetration. Moreover, he is witty, always aware of the ethical tightrope that the English walked in the Middle East and always willing to include himself in his own withering insight. ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Deserves the highest acclaim it gets
I read this book after visiting Turkey and Jordan some years ago andwas bedazzled by it in every respect.A remarkable military campaign, the extremely complex Lawrence and the account of WWI with the historicalfigures Ataturk, Feisal, Allenby etc.The victory of the Arabs and the British, with all the military daring and intrigue is one of the most amazing stories of the war.That Lawrence just happened to be a literary giant as well and could write as intensely well as perhaps any other 20th C English writer (that I know) is one of those strange coincidences that defies probability.
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Lawrence of Arabia. we have all heard the name and or seen the movie. But who is this guy who was able to unite semitic tribes and help force the turks and germans out of the desert and back into the mountains of Turkey. This is a well written book that is 80 years old. It is a look at a time before oil dominated the economy of this very harsh land. Lawrence autobiographically explains his part in the Arab uprising and how he won confidence and trust from a people who avoided all outside contact. Lawrence's style of writing was difficult at first but by the third chapter the reader will adapt and then it gets fun. This is a must read for anyone doing business or war in the mideast. If only our present leaders would have read this book first. They might have avoided a few of their missteps.

One of the best books ever written!
I first read this book in the early 1960s and because of it T. E. Lawrence became my favorite author. And after all of these years he still is. It's not a frivolous book; the writing does demand your attention and effort. The book is full of adventure, humor, history, analysis, and biographical insight of Lawrence and the Arabs and their life. And as other reviewers have noted, much of this book helps people understand the Arabic situation today.
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Subjects:  1. (Thomas Edward),    2. 1888-1935    3. 20th century    4. Arabian Peninsula    5. Arabs    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Campaigns    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. Lawrence, T. E    11. Literature - Classics / Criticism    12. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    13. Military History - Modern    14. Personal narratives, British    15. Saudi Arabia - History    16. World War, 1914-1918    17. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Reviews (45)

The Prophet in perspective...
I have often found it difficult to find any good biographies regarding the Prophet of Islam, but this one is truly a gem. Martin Lings has done an amazing job of taking the life of this Man from the most earliest and reliable sources, then turning it into a narrative that is such a pleasure to read. It feels as though one as reading a novel, and it is difficult to put this book down once one has picked it up. The author shows real talent and i can only imagine how great and difficult a task it was to have done research to such a deep level, and then taking it all and writing it in story form. If i remember correctly i think Martin Lings is a Professor at the famous University of Cambridge, England.
Another whitewash of Muhammad
A real waste of time. It is a highly selective suspect interpretation of both Muhammad and Islam drawn from a single source. At least, try to read some of the works by Abdul Hasan al-Tabari, the most prolific writer-doctor-scholar on Islam and Muhammad from the 10th century.
Come out to play Warriors
This book lay on the shelves for years before I read it. As a simplistic narrative about the Prophets life I thought it had nothing significant to say to my esoteric taste.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Historical - General    7. Islam - Mohammad    8. Muslims    9. Muòhammad,    10. Prophet,    11. Saudi Arabia    12. d. 632    13. Biography & Autobiography / Religious   

Editorial Review

In the global search for culprits and causes in the rise of terrorism, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold shines a spotlight on a nation many think of as a close ally of the United States: Saudi Arabia. As he explains in Read more

Reviews (80)

A history buff gets shamed...
I am embarrassed to realize the extent of my own ignorance regarding the Wahabi menace.As a lover of history and one who could draw a fairly accurate survey of the events that shaped the West during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, I was grievously unaware of the monstrous theology and murderous campaign of Ibn `Abd Al-Wahhab.One wonders how the terrors of the crusades could compare to the genocidal murder of "impure" Muslims by the fanatical armies of Wahab.One wonders still why the West fails to see the ever-present and growing threat posed by the Wahhabi poison which spans out from Saudi Arabia (our allies?) to infect Muslims around the world.This book is required reading for every American who feels the need to make some progress toward understanding why some Muslims cultivate hatred above all other "virtues."Want to know why supposedly godly people feel compelled to murder innocent women, children, and men?Want to understand why they have no difficulty murdering their own kinsmen and fellow Muslims?It's the poisonous Muslim heresy of Wahhabism.Where does it come from and how is it funded and propagated across the globe?Saudi Arabia is Hatred's Kingdom as Dore Gold has dubbed it.This book is a good starting place and a dreadful portent of things to come as long as Saudi Arabia is not held accountable. The Saudi mission to spread Wahhabism has been incredibly "successful" in Indonesia, Chechnya, Bosnia, America, and of course, Palestine where their PLO has become the center of a maelstrom of Islamic hatred. One stat that might be instructive for all those who think the extremists are a small minority is that 79% of Palestinian children state that they want to be suicide bombers when they grow up.It would seem the "extremists" are the few who want peace.If you think this is all an academic discussion for Americans consider that 70% of the Mosques in America teach the Wahhabi doctrine.Get this book and learn what those "friendly" neighborhood mosque-goers really think about you.

Good start, weak finish
I found the historical chapters of the book (up until about 1960) to be most useful section. As we pass into King Fahd's reign, the reasoning becomes much more speculative.Nonetheless, the author presents a plausible scenario. Careful documentation of the links between the major players is useful, and however you slice it, the latter chapters show the razors' edge the political leaders of Saudi Arabia must walk.

Politically driven with no real substance
I've read this book out of curiosity, but unfortunetely found it to be without real or factual substance and no objective conclusion.
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Subjects:  1. Arab-Israeli conflict    2. Criminology    3. History    4. History: World    5. Islamic fundamentalism    6. Israel-Arab conflicts    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - Israel    9. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    10. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    11. Political Terrorism    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Saudi Arabia - History    14. Terrorism    15. Wahhabiyah    16. WahhÃ¥abÃ¥iyah    17. Middle East    18. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Terrorism    19. Saudi Arabia    20. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Reviews (28)

The run-up to the war in Iraq
Are Islamists fighting us because of what we are, as George W. Bush contends, or because of what we do, as Michael Scheuer contends? Scheuer makes a convincing case for his position.
To See Ourselves as Others See Us.
The Scottish poet Robert Burns once said, "Oh would some power the gift give us, To see ourselves as others see us!
Through Our Enemies' Eyes
This book is four years old in facts yet has a 2006 copyright.Is beneficial for someone not familiar with Osama bin Laden but little benefit for someone who has good backround knowledge. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. Islam    4. Jihad    5. Military - Strategy    6. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Religious aspects    11. Saudi Arabia    12. Terrorists    13. Violence    14. History / Military / Strategy    15. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Reviews (17)

A Rather Unsatisfactory Bio of Bin Laden
Peter Bergen is a journalist well known for his knowledge of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.Here he presents an "oral" history by piecing together documents and interviews into what he considers a narrative whole.For the most part there is nothing new here that hasn't already been out in the public domain.And there is very little analysis.It is basically a group of documents strung together with commentary from Bergen.
Superb Context Shows How Clinton & Neo-Cons BOTH Fueled Islamic Violence
This is quite a superb composition of the statements of others about Bin Laden, interspersed with very credible observations and conclusion by Peter Bergen.
Superior work of journalism.
One hesitates to give five stars to anything, because no book is perfect (4 and a half stars?).Nonetheless, Bergen's book is a convincing and well-documented account of Osama bin Laden, his youth, his developing radical outlook, set within the context of his family, and his major infuences - such as Abdullah Azzam and Ayman al Zawahiri.Anyone seeking to comprehend bin Laden should be pleased with this work.Bergen portrays bin Laden without glamorizing or demonizing, but showing bin Laden for what he is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Criminals & Outlaws    6. General    7. Islam    8. Islamic Government    9. Islamic Studies    10. Islamic countries    11. Islamic fundamentalism    12. Political    13. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    14. Political Terrorism    15. Religious aspects    16. Saudi Arabia    17. Terrorism    18. Terrorists    19. 21st century    20. Afghanistan    21. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    22. Biography: historical    23. Political Science / International Relations / Diplomacy    24. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Reviews (1)

Public Myths, Private Realities
I have met Prince Bandar bin Sultan a number of times in the United States in my capacity as a money manager for extremely wealthy international families, and as a financial advisor to governments. I also lean towards political conservatism, although I am deeply disappointed at the extent to which corruption has become common in our government in the last decade or so. It use to under the table, now it's in our face.
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Subjects:  1. Ambassadors    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Foreign relations    7. Monarchy And Aristocracy    8. Political    9. Princes    10. Royalty    11. Saudi Arabia    12. Saudi Arabia - History    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Political    15. Biography: general   

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.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    7. Saudi Arabia    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    9. History / Middle East    10. Saudi Arabia--History--20th century    11. Social & cultural anthropology   

Reviews (78)

Truthful discourse
Having lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for over a year I understand and remember the limitations I felt inside this "Magic kingdom".Saudi Arabia is a place where men have it very easy and women are the responsibility of their husbands and fathers/brothers.
"They will use our tolerance to infiltrate our society with their intolerance." -Carmen Bin Ladin
This book is an intelligent, page-turning treatise of the enslaving of women and other horrific dangers of Sharia law and extreme Islamic fundamentalism. I am saddened by the forced lifestyles of women and girls in so much of Saudi Arabia. I am frightened by the implications. If you want to understand thethreat of the spread of this intolerant way of life to basic freedom, please read this book and give it to your friends.

If you lie down with rats, don't be surprised if you get fleas
The title of my review says it all.Moslems don't think of women as people. I loved the book as it confirmed everything negative about Islam the "Religion of Peace." Yeah, right. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bin Ladin, Carmen    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Ethnic Cultures - General    7. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Reference    10. Saudi Arabia    11. Saudi Arabia - History    12. Sociology Of Women    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (24)

Portrait of a society on the verge of eruption
This is an excellent book giving insight into a country that affects the rest of us enormously. I had always thought of Saudi Arabia as a homogenous country since they are all Arab and all Moslem, but Bradley explains how the Saudi population is split into three major segments: (1) A Shiite minority in the eastern oilfields who, depending on your perspective, are either an oppressed religious minority or a bunch of potential terrorists. (2) The Saudi family and the tribes historically linked to them, centered on the capital of Riyadh, who maintain a tenuous control over the rest of the country. (3) The merchant-oriented people of the west, centered on Jeddah, who are relatively liberal and cosmopolitan. Bradley portrays Saudi Arabia as a country on the verge of eruption.
Why does it exist?
When one reads the truth about what goes on in Saudi Arabia one has to ponder 'why should it exist?'Why, in the 21st century, should a place like this exist?A place where women may not drive, may no leave the home without permission, may not attend colleges(that are usually U.S colleges supporting this disgusting discrimination), a place where certain sections in stores are 'off limits to women'.
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
These are some of the reviews reprinted on the author's website, johnrbradley:
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Subjects:  1. 1932-    2. 21st century    3. Contemporary Politics - Middle East    4. General    5. History    6. History & Theory - General    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. International Relations - General    10. Islamic Studies    11. Middle East - General    12. Political Science    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics/International Relations    15. Saudi Arabia    16. Social Situations And Conditions    17. Sociology - General    18. Asian / Middle Eastern history    19. Middle East    20. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    21. World history   

Editorial Review

A biography of the woman who, indirectly, was the catalyst for many of the troubles in the Middle East, including the Gulf War. In 1918, Gertrude Bell drew the region's proposed boundaries on a piece of tracing paper. Her qualifications for doing so were her extensive travel, her fluency in both Persian and Arabic, and her relationships with sheiks and tribal and religious leaders. She also possessed an ability to understand the subtle and indirect politeness of the culture, something many of her colonialist comrades were oblivious to. As a self-made statesman her sex was an asset, enabling her to bypass the ladder of protocol and dive into the business of building an Empire. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

It's still about oil
When Gertrude Bell was helping draw the lines for what is now present day Iraq it was about oil then and it's about oil now. Anyone wanting to understand a little bit about the culture of the Middle East should read this. A very interesting book about the female "Lawrence of Arabia."

Now we know who to blame
This is an interesting book, the most popular biography of one of the most interesting people of the early part of the last century. Gertrude Bell is largely lost to history, which is a shame. She was an expert on Arab affairs and Middle Eastern politics, a true polymath back when you could be such a thing. She spoke numerous languages, wrote "travel" books (accounts of travels she'd had in exotic places), was an accomplished historian and archaeologist, and worked during World War I as what amounted to an intelligence agent, serving further as an advisor after the war, liasing with the Arabs in Iraq. In addition to all of the above, she mapped out the boundaries of the country that became Iraq, and late in life founded the first museum for antiquities in Baghdad. All this in a man's world, where women weren't supposed to venture.
A woman who was a vital player in the modern history of the Middle East
This book was chosen for discussion by a member of our non-fiction book group. Along with other courses intended for continued learning, the group is affiliated with a local college. I would not have been interested in this bookotherwise, because I had never heard of Gertrude Bell.
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Subjects:  1. 1868-1926    2. Bell, Gertrude Lowthian,    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Colonial administrators    8. Great Britain    9. Historical - British    10. Middle East    11. Political    12. Saudi Arabia - History    13. Women    14. Women Orientalists    15. Bell, Gertrude Lowthian    16. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Arab countries    3. General    4. Government - Comparative    5. History    6. Islam    7. Islam - General    8. Islamic Government    9. Islamic fundamentalism    10. Middle East - General    11. Political Science    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Religion - World Religions    14. Algeria    15. Egypt    16. Islamic studies    17. Political Science / Foreign Legal Systems    18. Political structure & processes    19. Saudi Arabia   

Reviews (26)

Exposed
Quite simply, this is the most accessible and most reliable primer on Wahhabism.Easy to read and very well documented, Dr. Algar's essay offers plenty of material to expose the Wahhabis for who they are, from where they came, and debunks their claim as bearers of the torch of Islam.I would highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in Islam, especially those who are interested in the fanatical strains and idiocy done in the name of the religion.As a Muslim who lives in the West and often finds himself having to explain and apologize for the actions of the idiot fringe, this is the perfect companion.I would recommend the book whole-heartedly.Certainly a must-read.

Entry Level Book
First off this book is short. It is not meant to be a through analysis of the regional history, person or movement. It is, as the author says: A critical ESSAY.As such, it performs well. The author does a decent job of providing Abdul Wahab's educational/political background. The book also provides a history of the Western influence, the ties to Saudi family, their perpetrations and quite obviously the author's personal views on all the aforementioned.
Brief, Informative, and to the Point.
Hamid Algar along with other great professors who study The Middle East and Islam @ UC-Berkeley (to mention another Hatem Bazian( I know because I have met them)), are honored scholars in their fields. This book provides the reader with a short history on Wahhabism; describing the impact it has had on Middle-Eastern Society and American Society. It also makes note the often controversial definition of extremism as the Salafi's (Muslim Brotherhood), are often compared to Wahhabi belief.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. Islam - History    3. Letters    4. Literary Collections    5. Literature: Classics    6. Religion - Church History    7. Saudi Arabia    8. Wahhabiyah    9. WahhÃ¥abÃ¥iyah   

Reviews (2)

Cradle of Islam : The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity
The Saudi challenge remains one of Washington's greatest. While nominally a U.S. ally, Saudi princes regularly donate to Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorist groups. Saudi schools promote Wahhabism, the radical and intolerant interpretation of Islam embraced by Osama bin Laden and the 9-11 hijackers.