The Battle For Saudi Arabia

(Paperback)

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Arab American scholar As'ad Abdukhalil studies the political and cultural enigma that Saudi presents to many Americans. He is essentially interested in the ambiguity created by this country which is both moderate yet reactionary, home to the world's largest oil reservoirs yet also to Osama bin Laden. Through closely examining Saudi society, its history, religion and ethnic tribalism, as well as the shared interests, tensions and contradictions inherent in U.S.-Saudi relations, he offers a critical look at one of the world's most repressive and fundamentalist nations.

Reviews

Based on often ignored Saudi sources, this important book reveals much about one of the most important countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, and its long and involved relationship with the United States. For anyone who wishes to understand the background of perhaps the most extreme ideology in the Middle East, this book is a must. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Middle East Institute, Columbia University

Asad Abu Khalil takes aim at friends and foes of the Kingdom alike in Saudi Arabia and the United States. Read and argue with his sharp, often provocative judgments, and, as you do so, appreciate Asad's attempt to go beyond the easy outrage that colors much of the post-9/11 writing on Saudi society and American foreign policy.Robert Vitalis, Director of the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center and author ofAmericas Kingdom: Saudi Arabia and the World Oil Frontier, 1945-1970

Author Bio

ASAD ABUKHALIL was born in Tyre, Lebanon. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from the American University of Beirut, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Politics from Georgetown University. AbuKhalil has taught at Georgetown, George Washington University, Tufts University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. His articles on Middle East politics and society have appeared in English, German, Spanish, and Arabic. He is professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus, and a visiting professor at UC, Berkeley.