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fatyma's review against another edition
5.0
A truly tantalizing book! It has been an eye opener to the current dynamica of Saudi Kingdom, and how MBS weilded power to rise to the top, sometimes the events leaving me horrified. This book also portrays the life and culture of Saudi Arabia, and its discrimination against women.
japandria's review against another edition
4.0
My one sentence review: I read this for Book Riot's 2021 Read Harder Challenge (#18 read a book by/about a non-Western world leader) and I'm so glad I did because not only did I learn about a person and country I knew very little about, but I also found that author's writing to be very engaging (I was worried I would struggle to get through it but that was absolutely not the case - it was informative and well written).
malkia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Ben Hubbard is an expert journalist and an excellent storyteller. His tone is sober, yet the book clearly conveys a sense of urgency. Mr. Hubbard also does an excellent job of fashioning complex facts into a narrative arch demarcated particularly by Mohammed Bin Salman’s ascendancy to the office of Crown Prince, and the murder of the Saudi-born WaPo columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. An excellent book for those interested in learning about a man who has spent blood and coin to define himself in the public eye; truth be damned.
kulwanotes's review against another edition
4.0
I knew almost less about this guy. Ben has shed me some light about him. I think i need another book about him.
tonka_blue's review against another edition
5.0
Godinama već usputno pratim što se događa u Saudijskoj Arabiji. Prvo je rat u Jemenu dao neke natruhe promjene u toj zemlji Arapskog poluotoka. Međutim, jasno je bilo da se nešto događa kad su u kućnom zatvoru u Ritzu završili neki od najmoćnijih ljudi Saudijske Arabije. Nestanak novinara Jamala Khashoggija za kojeg se vrlo brzo ispostavil0 da je ubijen bilo je ulje na vatru koja se rasplamsala i progutala svijet.
A kao odgovorni, odnosno ključni faktor, u sva tri slučaja vrlo brzo se pokazao princ Muhamed bin Salman.
Ova knjiga upravo govori o tome tko je on i kako je u samo nekoliko godina uništio neke od najjačih temelja Saudijske Arabije i sam promijenio tijek povijesti te zemlje.
Knjiga Bena Hubbarda idealna je za sve one koje zanima suvremena Saudijska Arabija i uloga koju ima MBS, pri čemu autor nije propustio međunarodne okolnosti u kojima je mladi princ napredovao i prodavao svoju viziju svijeta kao ni odnose sa svjetskim moćnicima posebice njegov odnos s Jaredom Kushnerom, zetom američkog predsjednika Donalda Trumpa.
'MSB: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman' izuzetna je knjiga jer tečno prolazi kroz društvene i ekonomske aspekte Saudijske Arabije, no uz opise svakodnevnih ljudi i utjecaja promjena koje je donio MSB što daje na autentičnosti. S obzirom na kompleksnost teme, autor je vrhunski uspio postići širinu informacije, no izbjeći uniformiranost akademskog pisanja koja bi bila pogubna s obzirom na samu temu.
A kao odgovorni, odnosno ključni faktor, u sva tri slučaja vrlo brzo se pokazao princ Muhamed bin Salman.
Ova knjiga upravo govori o tome tko je on i kako je u samo nekoliko godina uništio neke od najjačih temelja Saudijske Arabije i sam promijenio tijek povijesti te zemlje.
Knjiga Bena Hubbarda idealna je za sve one koje zanima suvremena Saudijska Arabija i uloga koju ima MBS, pri čemu autor nije propustio međunarodne okolnosti u kojima je mladi princ napredovao i prodavao svoju viziju svijeta kao ni odnose sa svjetskim moćnicima posebice njegov odnos s Jaredom Kushnerom, zetom američkog predsjednika Donalda Trumpa.
'MSB: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman' izuzetna je knjiga jer tečno prolazi kroz društvene i ekonomske aspekte Saudijske Arabije, no uz opise svakodnevnih ljudi i utjecaja promjena koje je donio MSB što daje na autentičnosti. S obzirom na kompleksnost teme, autor je vrhunski uspio postići širinu informacije, no izbjeći uniformiranost akademskog pisanja koja bi bila pogubna s obzirom na samu temu.
durrenmatt's review against another edition
4.0
In normal times, this would have been the perfect book to pick up at the airport before a business trip: it doesn't require too much concentration and you absorb a load of information.
The author, a NY Times correspondent for Saudi Arabia, mixes personal experiences and interview with the big themes dominating Saudi Arabian life and politics. The driving ban for women, the excesses of the royals, the rivalry with Iran and alliance with the US, the megalomanic projects and of course the killing of Jamal Khashoggi - it is all very surreal and fascinating.
My only criticism, but this is hardly the fault of the author, is that MBS himself remains something of an enigma. As the 6th son of the 25th son of the king, he was just one of thousands of princes and princess and not destined to be a particularly influential person. People that did know him during his younger years are (rightly) afraid to speak to journalists. So the main sources to go on are MBS's own deeds and statements following his sudden rise to power in the past 5 years.
What emerges is a person without principles (which helps explain his good relationship with the equally 'transactional' Trump administration), who is hungry for power and has a taste for megalomanic projects and the latest technology. Simple but smart, a dangerous combination.
If achieving his objectives requires modernising the country, by lifting the driving ban and even introducing entertainment, then so be it. It however also includes silencing any opposition, with the Khashoggi's murder as the tragic and chilling culmination.
All in all, very worthwhile to read if you are interested in Saudi Arabia as it is today.
The author, a NY Times correspondent for Saudi Arabia, mixes personal experiences and interview with the big themes dominating Saudi Arabian life and politics. The driving ban for women, the excesses of the royals, the rivalry with Iran and alliance with the US, the megalomanic projects and of course the killing of Jamal Khashoggi - it is all very surreal and fascinating.
My only criticism, but this is hardly the fault of the author, is that MBS himself remains something of an enigma. As the 6th son of the 25th son of the king, he was just one of thousands of princes and princess and not destined to be a particularly influential person. People that did know him during his younger years are (rightly) afraid to speak to journalists. So the main sources to go on are MBS's own deeds and statements following his sudden rise to power in the past 5 years.
What emerges is a person without principles (which helps explain his good relationship with the equally 'transactional' Trump administration), who is hungry for power and has a taste for megalomanic projects and the latest technology. Simple but smart, a dangerous combination.
If achieving his objectives requires modernising the country, by lifting the driving ban and even introducing entertainment, then so be it. It however also includes silencing any opposition, with the Khashoggi's murder as the tragic and chilling culmination.
All in all, very worthwhile to read if you are interested in Saudi Arabia as it is today.
bibliozabs's review against another edition
3.5
Bio about a complex man. A lunatic murdering dictator who also does some good 🤔
sreeraag_mohan's review against another edition
4.0
“Osama bin Laden’s hijacked planes not only attacked New York and Washington, they also attacked Islam as a faith and the values of tolerance and coexistence that it preaches.”
9/11 was a watershed moment in the Islamic world: it is the definitive moment in history when Islamophobic rhetoric gained resonance across the world and it is also when the Western world woke up to unearth how its ally in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, actually functions. For decades, the Western world has turned a blind eye to Saudi authoritarianism, denial of human rights and sheer absence of executive transparency or accountability in exchange for an uninterrupted supply of oil. Not anymore.
Since then, the world has embarked on multiple endeavours to overthrow so called dictators and spread democracy, all the while ignoring the Saudis and letting them do their thing. But then, the oil wells began to run out and the money that had fattened the Saudi economy stopped. Something had to be done fast, before the coffers empty out and the people revolt. Enter Mohammed bin Salman.
MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman does not intend to be an autobiography of the young prince, but aims to be a chronicle of his rise to power, and the factors that led him to take charge of the country and make sweeping changes to its social and legislative structures. Ben Hubbard paints as objective a picture of him as is possible, and even lauds the socioeconomic changes that he has instantiated in the kingdom. Hubbard does not shy away from criticising MBS's more controversial decisions, such as the 2017 Saudi Arabia-Lebanon crisis or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. In his afterword, Hubbard does concede that MBS's efforts on the social front are laudable, but without losing a breath, Hubbard states that if MBS deserves credit for his good deeds, he must also take responsibility for the bad.
A mighty expectation from a de facto sultan, who are hitherto unused to any criticism whatsoever.
9/11 was a watershed moment in the Islamic world: it is the definitive moment in history when Islamophobic rhetoric gained resonance across the world and it is also when the Western world woke up to unearth how its ally in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, actually functions. For decades, the Western world has turned a blind eye to Saudi authoritarianism, denial of human rights and sheer absence of executive transparency or accountability in exchange for an uninterrupted supply of oil. Not anymore.
Since then, the world has embarked on multiple endeavours to overthrow so called dictators and spread democracy, all the while ignoring the Saudis and letting them do their thing. But then, the oil wells began to run out and the money that had fattened the Saudi economy stopped. Something had to be done fast, before the coffers empty out and the people revolt. Enter Mohammed bin Salman.
MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman does not intend to be an autobiography of the young prince, but aims to be a chronicle of his rise to power, and the factors that led him to take charge of the country and make sweeping changes to its social and legislative structures. Ben Hubbard paints as objective a picture of him as is possible, and even lauds the socioeconomic changes that he has instantiated in the kingdom. Hubbard does not shy away from criticising MBS's more controversial decisions, such as the 2017 Saudi Arabia-Lebanon crisis or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. In his afterword, Hubbard does concede that MBS's efforts on the social front are laudable, but without losing a breath, Hubbard states that if MBS deserves credit for his good deeds, he must also take responsibility for the bad.
A mighty expectation from a de facto sultan, who are hitherto unused to any criticism whatsoever.
dgrachel's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
I have long since given up any notion of the US having any sort of moral authority, so I'm not comfortable passing judgement on MBS as a whole. From this book, he has clearly made some policy changes that are good - some increased freedoms, and I'm a huge fan of separation of church and state, so moving away from a government so heavily ruled by an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam has to be a good thing. However, I can condemn human rights abuses, and any time you have a large group of the population who refuse to talk to "outsiders" or journalists because they fear saying the wrong thing and ending up in prison, tortured, or executed, there's a problem.
Subject matter aside, I found the text itself (or maybe just the audiobook narration) lacking. I was bored for much of the audiobook and likely wouldn't have finished it if not for a couple of reading challenges.
Subject matter aside, I found the text itself (or maybe just the audiobook narration) lacking. I was bored for much of the audiobook and likely wouldn't have finished it if not for a couple of reading challenges.