The Rise

I found that Said did a wonderful job here in making a compelling presentation of his view of the "House of Saud". Yes, this book is heavily critical of the current Saudi kingdom, but I think he is a very careful author and explains things very well. I find what he is saying to be believable and he definately is very knowledgable on the subject. It definately was worth the read, especially since I am interested in the happenings in the Middle East. It really makes you wonder why the U.S.A. supports Saudi Arabia.

As America is in the midst of 'liberating' Iraq, perhaps one should consider this book. It details how the House of Saud were a barbaric family, with little public support, on the verge of being terminated forever. They were viewed as barbaric by other ruling classes in the Arabian peninsula. However the ruling classes in Britain obviously felt differently and decided to give these barbarians money and arms to make them rulers of 'Saudi' Arabia. Once the British were out of the scene, the Americans stepped in allowing the House of Saud to consolidate their power. Why did they do this? Oil and strategic power. In other words the House of Saud were/are a puppet government. Who are the losers? The Arabian people who must put up with corruption and a backward and restrictive religion called Wahhabism (a religion that has always been a minority in the area). So much for western governments liberating oppressed people ruled by barbaric regimes! I am sure a similar picture is true of many other countries in the Middle East. This book has been made more relevant than ever by the recent invasion of Iraq. Once the book has been read, the reader will be in no doubt of the real motives of America in the Middle East and will be saddened by the fact that in the western world we have not really moved on since the 1920's with regards to foreign policy.

This book details the house of Saud and its 'coming fall'. Mr Aburish, who also wrote a book on Arafat and one on Saddam, details the growth of the house of Saud and its royal family. How it transformed a desert kingdom into a thriving middle eastern power. How it confronted Arab nationism and how it has now come to suppress its own people. Unfortunatly the book does not detail the support of terrorism and the suppression of women and foriegners(who do all the work since Saudis cant seem to learn how to drill their own oil). THis book talks about arabs from an arab point of view and is indispensible int he understanding of the Saudi mindset. It is a needed addition to any modern book that accuses Suadi of terror, for this is the inside story of the machinery of fuedal royalty living in the 21st century.

Americans need to understand the horror of the Saudi Arabian government and this book provides it. The Saudi 'Royals' (euphamism for dictators for life) are nearly identical to the recently defeated Taliban government of Afghanistan. All thoughtful and freedom loving people of the world would be alarmed by the expose of this book: There is no democracy in Saudi Arabia, no free speech or freedom of religion. Censorship of media is extreme: All newspapers, magazines and books are strictly controlled by the government. Minority religions are brutally dealt with. Women are not allowed to drive, to appear in public without an abaya, to travel without permission from a husband or father, to work, to mix with any men outside their family. The justice system is the most barbaric and capricious form imaginable: routine torture, beheadings, amputations. There are thousands of 'disappeareds' every year. (Even such things as 'pets' are prohibited by the government!) This book provides an in depth look into the corruption of the Saudi Government--King and Company spend the BILLIONs in oil wealth and we all know those stories! The reader is left with an enlightened understanding of the price America pays for turning a blind eye to the Saudi Kings abhorrent abuse of power in return for our low oil prices. A must read.

This book is well-written, well-documented and important. The author (who is writing from a country outside Saudi Arabia, but is himself a Saudi) minces no words in discussing the history, government and Royal Family. My personal view is that it is important to read books about other countries that are not authored by Americans. While this country has much more freedom in what is allowed to be written, read, published and broadcasted (the chapter on the Saudi press was very chilling), the media here tends to oversimplify many issues, and people don't take the time to hunt out other sources. Thus, another country is our "friend" one day in the news, the next they are "the enemy" and politics, foreign loans, arms deals, and all sorts of other goings-on are not really explained. This author explains the reasons behind everything that has been happening in the Middle East from 1900 on, and I certainly learned a lot about the Gulf War. In addition, I have read several books from the women's viewpoint in Saudi Arabia (e.g., Princess, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street), but this shows what is going on with the men in the ruling class. The author also did a good job of convincing me that the Saudi people may not be of one mind with the Royal Family, and that ordinary citizens can be subject to many abuses. Anyone who is interested in the Middle East ought to read this book. Informative, compelling and convincing.