Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power: 'The Explosive New Book' Paperback – September 16, 2021

Great book

Once one gets past all the Mohameds of the ruling families, it’s clear that MBS and Saudi Arabia is on the move to becoming a with power to be reckoned with, if the US hopes to establish some stability in the Middle East.

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 major Saudi players to create whole careers) which feel like Bradley Hope really wanted to fit in that WSJ profile he wrote last year. The final ending is also abrupt, possibly quickly rewritten to update to pandemic times - but it would be great to hear some thoughts on what the future might bring.Still, wholeheartedly recommend as a great insight not so much into just one person, but into a family and a nation that wield massive global influence.

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

Item arrived damaged with bent front cover

I enjoyed this book very much! I definitely can see this book, or MBS's life be turned into a tv series. MBS truly fits the stereotypical prince that we see in the movies. The author broke down the history and the perspectives. I just wished the author added more details and situations about MBS. I'd liked to read more about the details in the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the imprisonment of Salman al Oda. Other than that I was familiar with most of the reading material due to following MBS through the news and media. Definitely would recommend this book!

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.

Having met Bradley Hope when we both worked in Abu Dhabi, I am always ready to hear him or read a book which he's written - with a co-author in this case. With the new recognition of Israel by UAE and Bahrain, the role of Saudi Arabia becomes even more important in the coming years. Yes, MBS, sometimes clumsily, is trying to drag the Kingdom into the 21st century. I hadn't realized until reading Blood and Oil that Neom, MBS dream city-state in northern Saudi Arabia is actually on the Israeli border. The future looks interesting - yes, I remember the Chinese saying - but brighter than a few years ago.