Saudi Arabia is under attack. Ever since the events of 9/11 brought sudden and unwanted attention to the oil rich kingdom, questions about the ties between the countrys royalty and Islamic fundamentalist groups are being asked with increasing public awareness and outcry. There is a demand to know why the Saudi and US governments have been unwill... more »ing to account for suspected Saudi ties to al-Qaeda amidst vigorous Saudi support, in the name of Wahhabi Islam, for fundamentalist movements such as the Taliban; and to know why Saudi Arabia was conspicuously glossed over in the reports by the 9/11 commision.

Saudi Arabia is also under attack internally: the growing socio-economic disparity within the country has sparked violent unrest among its citizens fueled directly by the fundamentalist ideology officially enforced by the state. Hardly a week passes without news of a gun battle between fundamentalist militants and Saudi security forces. Whats going on? What forces are at work within this closed society?

In his new book, The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power , Professor As`ad AbuKhalil confronts the contradictory nature of Saudi Arabiaquestions that both the Saudi government, long shrouded in mystery, and the United States government, ever protective of its own interests, seem unwilling to answer.

In this unsparing probe into the history and power structure of the kingdom, Professor AbuKhalil, author of Bin Laden, Islam, and Americas New War on Terrorism, affords the reader unique insight into the intense friction that underlies the increasingly precarious balance between the Saudi royal family and the fundamentalist clerical establishment.

Beginning with the story of the Saudi state and the origins of its fundamentalist Wahhabi doctrine, Professor AbuKhalil reveals a deep scholarly knowledge of the religious, social, economic, and political history of the Arabian Peninsula as he draws an intimate portrait of this paradoxical state, at once one of the United States closest allies and by far the most repressive Islamic regime on the planet.

The role of US interests in keeping the kingdom afloateven as it buckles more and more under the weight of a disenfranchised populaceemerges at the center of Professor AbuKhalils analysis as he examines the kingdoms strained international relations, its restrictive policies towards women and religious minorities, and the rapid growth of unemployment among its youth against the backdrop of escalating internal violence and growing global uncertainty.

ISBN-13: 9781583226100
ISBN-10: 1583226109
Publication Date: 8/30/2004
Pages: 248
Rating:

Currently 4.8/5 Stars.

4.8 stars, based on 2 ratings

Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Similar books to this author and title:

$Thicker Than Oil: America\'s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia$

Princes of Darkness : The Saudi Assault on the West

$Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America\'s Perilous Path in the Middle East$ $Inside the Mirage: America\'s Fragile Partnership With Saudi Arabia$

Genres:

History >> Americas >> United States >> 20th Century >> General
History >> Middle East >> Saudi Arabia
Nonfiction >> Politics >> General

My Account
Post Books
Wish List
Bookshelf
Member Tools
Under the Hood
Newsletter Archive

Search for a Book
Browse My Favorite Genres
Advanced Book Search
Book Browser
Club Tag Cloud
NYT Best Sellers
Newbery Medal Winners
Pulitzer Prize Winners
Books Posted Today
Award Winning Books
Mobile / PDAs

Help Center
How to Swap Books
Ask the Librarian
Live Help
Browser Test
Feature List
Amazon Search

Community
Spread the Word
Widgets & APIs
Feeds RSS/XML
Box-O-Books
Discussion Forums
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Company
Press & Media
Pulse of PBS
Contact Us
Careers
Privacy & Security

Sister Sites
SwapaDVD.com
SwapaCD.com

Back to the Top ↑

Tell a friend about this book...

Search - The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power