Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power

Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power

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  • Create Date:2021-11-29 09:51:21
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
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  • Author:Bradley Hope
  • ISBN:0306846632
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Summary

From award-winning Wall Street Journal reporters Justin Scheck & Bradley Hope (coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale), this revelatory look at the world's most powerful ruling family reveals how a rift within Saudi Arabian royalty produced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a charismatic leader with a ruthless streak。
*Longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award*
35-year-old Mohammed bin Salman's sudden rise stunned the world。 Political and business leaders such as former UK prime minister Tony Blair and WME chairman Ari Emanuel flew out to meet with the crown prince and came away convinced that his desire to reform the kingdom was sincere。 He spoke passionately about bringing women into the workforce and toning down Saudi Arabia's restrictive Islamic law。 He lifted the ban on women driving and explored investments in Silicon Valley。
But MBS began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants and public relations experts like McKinsey & Company。 The allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out, including that he ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi。 While stamping out dissent by holding 300 people, including prominent members of the Saudi royal family, in the Ritz-Carlton hotel and elsewhere for months, he continued to exhibit his extreme wealth, including buying a $70 million chateau in Europe and one of the world's most expensive yachts。 It seemed that he did not understand nor care about how the outside world would react to his displays of autocratic muscle-what mattered was the flex。

Blood and Oil
is a gripping work of investigative journalism about one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders。 Hope and Scheck show how MBS' precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of US-Saudi relations for more than 80 years: oil, 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。

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Reviews

Palash Karia

This was written in a very engaging manner, and was a pleasure to read。 There were parts that were repeating, but with so many characters, it’s sometimes a good thing to jog your memory。

David Burns

Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power ** Read in Saudi Arabia (November 2021) Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power ** Read in Saudi Arabia (November 2021) 。。。more

Miroslav Hudak

Not often, there is a book, that has NO positive figures。 This is one of those books。Spoiled, corrupt, entitled。。。 and above all of them, the star of the show, Mr。 BoneSaw, ruthless "visionary," with cohorts of greedy financial institutions and investors, tailing him to get a bite of Saudi wealth。 Actually, pretty sad。 What a ride this book was。 Interesting, nicely written。I was listening to it on Audible and it was a treat as well。 Not often, there is a book, that has NO positive figures。 This is one of those books。Spoiled, corrupt, entitled。。。 and above all of them, the star of the show, Mr。 BoneSaw, ruthless "visionary," with cohorts of greedy financial institutions and investors, tailing him to get a bite of Saudi wealth。 Actually, pretty sad。 What a ride this book was。 Interesting, nicely written。I was listening to it on Audible and it was a treat as well。 。。。more

نعمان

Is there such a thing as a successful autocracy?

Chris Foley

8。3/10Fascinating read

John Amundsen

Riveting and fascinating

Umar Lawal

It is very good book。 Enlightens people about MBS rise to power and what actually motivated him to become so ambitious。

Charlie Stewart

The story should be captivating but the way it's been structured makes it quite putdownable The story should be captivating but the way it's been structured makes it quite putdownable 。。。more

Charlie Grozier

7。5/10

Emiliya Bozhilova

”We Saudis deserve better。”Jamal Khashoggi, 2017 Странно изказване за саудитец, мъж, с отлична журналистическа кариера по цял свят, често пъти в полза на родната му Саудитска Арабия, самият той - издънка на едно от видните саудитски семейства, положило основите на благополучието си при управлението на основателя Ибн Сауд。 Странно изказване за държава, къпеща се в петродолари, изпращаща свои младежи за безплатно образование в чужбина, земята на единствената Мека, в чиято посока голяма част от све ”We Saudis deserve better。”Jamal Khashoggi, 2017 Странно изказване за саудитец, мъж, с отлична журналистическа кариера по цял свят, често пъти в полза на родната му Саудитска Арабия, самият той - издънка на едно от видните саудитски семейства, положило основите на благополучието си при управлението на основателя Ибн Сауд。 Странно изказване за държава, къпеща се в петродолари, изпращаща свои младежи за безплатно образование в чужбина, земята на единствената Мека, в чиято посока голяма част от света се моли по пет пъти на ден。 Но и държавата, в която жените започнаха на шофират чак през 2017 г。, земята на уахабизма, неразривно преплетен в управлението на тези земи от възникването си през 18-ти век, насочващ правоверните да живеят така, както уахабитите си въобразяват че е било правилно по времето на Пророка през 7-ми век, само с малко електронни джаджи за гарнитура (но, виж, музеите се считат за идолопоклонничество)。Саудитска Арабия е абсолютна монархия от средновековен тип и е страна, която лесно създава автократи като сегашния престолонаследник Мохамед бин Салман, който е реалният владетел и ще бъде първия владетел “трето поколение”。 От 1953 г。 саудитските крале са все синовете на многодетния Ибн Сауд, един от които е и крал Салман, бащата на Мохамед。 Детайлното и увлекателно журналистическо разследване хвърля доста светлина върху целия регион и неговите противоречия。Твърде много пари。 Но Мохамед е достатъчно умен, за да знае, че петролът не е неизчерпаем ресурс, а приходите от поклонничеството в Мека често са по-малко от разходите, и тези пари трябва да са буферът за изграждане на едно по-различно бъдеще。 В резултат той инвестира в компании като Тесла и Uber, прокарва Визия 2030, където в Саудитска Арабия ще има напълно автономни градове на бъдещето с летящи автомобили, както предвижда сякаш излезлият от научна фантастика проект NEOM。 Отваря (макар и в строго ограничени рамки) страната за туристически посещения。 Най-сетне отменя забраната за жените да шофират。 Въвежда данъци (за първи път от основаването на държавата)。 Налага показатели за спазване (KPI) на Министврството на икономиката и други служби - нещо нечувано, защото в Саудитска Арабия просто не се прави така。 Там институции и без това няма, има само по-близки и далечни връзки с кралския двор, и едни услуги и пари, така стават нещата。И същевременно всеки, поискал същите тези неща да се случат, попада в затвора или е убит и разфасован като жертвено животно в саудитското посолство в Истанбул, като журналиста Джамал Кашоги, по заповед на същия този работохолик с 16 часов работен ден - Мохамед бин Салман。 Или изчезва някъде, без значение от обществено положение, както мнозина негови роднини и кандидати за престола。 Или - след престой в службите - кротко подписва прехвърляне на активи за милиарди на държавата。 Така Мохамед бори корупцията (и събира някой и друг долар за черни дни), и под ударите попадат далеч не невинни саудитски гиганти като строителната Бинладин Груп (на семейството на Осама Бен Ладен) или Огер на ливанската фамилия Харири, дала двама премиери на Ливан (и прокарала съответното саудитско влияние)。 Ливанският премиер Саид Харири дори - по финансови и политически съображения - е държан за заложник в Риад, принуден да подаде оставка в ефир и спасен единствено от усилията на Еманюел Макрон。 Книгата на двамата автори - разследващи журналисти е актуално, образователно и умело поднасяне на куп факти и анализи от кухнята на Персийския Залив (който арабите възмутено наричат Арабски), с петролните пипала, плъзнали по цял свят (включително за разпространение на уахабизма) и преплетени с куп други пипала (като тези на САЩ и Турция, та дори и Китай, както и с тези на на Джеф Безос, Илон Мъск, или на фирми, ковящи световната политика като McKinsey, BCG, Blackwater, Blackstone)。 Светът, какъвто е в някои свои части, и какъвто никога, никога не трябва да допускаме да стане и наш。 Защото прилики - най-вече институционални - уви, има。 。。。more

Teresa Alici

Incredibly researched in a place where research is not allowed and where secrets are jealously protected。 History, drama and a history class of Saudi Arabia that portrays the Al Saud family and how our addiction to oil has turned one of the most powerful man in the world into the next king。 I kept thinking throughout the book, that in a world where I thought human rights are at the center of conversation and a priority to so many, we can´t forget about Saudi Arabia where power is still inherited Incredibly researched in a place where research is not allowed and where secrets are jealously protected。 History, drama and a history class of Saudi Arabia that portrays the Al Saud family and how our addiction to oil has turned one of the most powerful man in the world into the next king。 I kept thinking throughout the book, that in a world where I thought human rights are at the center of conversation and a priority to so many, we can´t forget about Saudi Arabia where power is still inherited, religion controls society, and those in power never pay the consequences of what they do or their decisions。 A country where oil economically supports hundreds of princes and princesses with very expensive taste。Things might change (and modernize) in Saudi Arabia in the near future with MBS in power。 After reading this book there is no doubt he will do whatever he needs to do to make that happen。A must。 。。。more

Kim

apparently there are no women in Saudi Arabia。 Other than that its an excellent book

Peter

Really enjoyed this。 The initial shock of the scale of wealth controlled by a Royal family, is eclipsed by rise of MBS and how he holds & wields his power。 4。5/10

Hammad Gill

This well researched book contains a chronicle of an ambitious and powerful prince, Mohammad Bin Salman( commonly known as MBS)— who also happens to be the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and son of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz。 MBS is the most beloved son of King Salman。 As a teenage prince, he was fond of fast food, video games and a lavish lifestyle。 He was nobody's prince having no political power and wealth worth mentioning, until recently。 When King Abdullah was ruling over Saudi Arabia, MBS re This well researched book contains a chronicle of an ambitious and powerful prince, Mohammad Bin Salman( commonly known as MBS)— who also happens to be the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and son of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz。 MBS is the most beloved son of King Salman。 As a teenage prince, he was fond of fast food, video games and a lavish lifestyle。 He was nobody's prince having no political power and wealth worth mentioning, until recently。 When King Abdullah was ruling over Saudi Arabia, MBS realized that his father, despite being a prince, being a governor of Riyadh for 48 years and being a crown prince, had gathered no wealth, unlike other princes of the royal family。 But his father had one thing which many in the desert kingdom could only dream of: political power。 So, MBS started making a fortune using political connections。 Soon, King Abdullah fell seriously ill。 This was the long waiting moment for both MBS and Salman。 So, MBS started the play of power which he had learned from his political inspiration Niccolò Machiavelli, a 15th century Italian diplomat。 King Abdullah died in 2015。 Lady Luck shined on Salman and his clan as he became the King。 Salman appointed Prince Muqrin as his crown prince and Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef(MBN) as his deputy crown prince。 Within 3 months, King Salman dismissed Muqrin as the crown prince and appointed MBN as crown prince and MBS as deputy crown prince。MBS was also appointed as the minister of defense。 With less than 8 weeks experience in the defense ministry, MBS ordered his generals to "bring out F-15 and attack" neighboring Yemen in an ill-planned military campaign。 Even the longtime Saudi ally, the US and crown prince, MBN, wasn't taken on board。 Yemen turned out to be a mess for the kingdom。 Similarly, in July 2017, MBS with Mohammad Bin Zayed(MBZ) of UAE announced a blockade of Qatar in an attempt to rein in Al-Thanis and force them to shut down Al-Jazeera and break up with Iran and Turkey。 But this move backfired and pushed Qatar into Turkish and Iranian influence。 MBS had to end the blockade without achieving anything out of this rivalry。 The same year, MBS summoned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Harriri and kidnapped him。 Under duress, Saad was made to appear on TV and announce his resignation, denounce Iranian influence and blame Hezbollah for chaos in Lebanon。 Soon, with the intervention of French President Emmanuel Macron, he was able to return to Lebanon and take back his resignation。One night in 2017, nearly 400 hundred princes, ministers, bureaucrats and businessmen found themselves locked up in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel under allegations of corruption。 But in reality, all of them were those people whom MBS considered a hurdle in his way to the throne。 On June 21, 2017, the Crown Prince MBN was summoned to meet the King but he found himself kidnapped by MBS' men until he agreed to resign。 MBS was to become the next crown prince and the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia。Within a few years, nobody's prince had become "the only prince。" 。。。more

Tomas Bella

Napínavé ako detektívka, vraždy, peniaze, intrigy, len všetko je to skutočný príbeh chlapíka, ktorého poznáte z TV ako človeka, ktorý nechal rozštvrtiť tureckého novinára na saudskej ambasáde, ale v jeho živote je v skutočnosti oveľa viac fascinujúcich inšpiratívnych príbehov!Dávno som už nečítal takú knihu, kde som po 300 stranách vedel o toľko viac o svete, nevadí, ak pred prvou kapitolou ani neviete ukázať Rijád na mape, je to čítavé a celé fascinujúce。

Nina Tian

Compelling read。 Disturbing realities of MBS's influence on the western world。 Compelling read。 Disturbing realities of MBS's influence on the western world。 。。。more

Ece Kepekci

Excellent storytelling by the authors, detailed and impressive information gathering skills make the story ever more captivating。

Vaishakh Venugopal

A fast paced investigative journalism on the life of MBS, clubbed into a book。 An Al-Saud and KSA primer。

Hans Hoffmann

A great way to end my year。 This book is about the rise and reign of Mohammed Bin Salman。 Though he is second in line he has tried to modernize Saudi Arabia but at the same time he is a ruthless despot。it is a really insightful book。 Covering in detail the last 5 yrs。 He is young and made decisions that are what I would call immature。 The Khashoggi murder was planned brutal and sickening, but some American businessmen’s decision to think long term and pursue the money was disheartening。 The Trum A great way to end my year。 This book is about the rise and reign of Mohammed Bin Salman。 Though he is second in line he has tried to modernize Saudi Arabia but at the same time he is a ruthless despot。it is a really insightful book。 Covering in detail the last 5 yrs。 He is young and made decisions that are what I would call immature。 The Khashoggi murder was planned brutal and sickening, but some American businessmen’s decision to think long term and pursue the money was disheartening。 The Trump era has not been good for Saudi Arabia。 To MBS’ credit he understands everyone wants Saudi money, but ne needs countries to invest in Saudi Arabia - which they have been unwilling to do。 Market is too small。 Jared Kushner is a slime ball。 。。。more

Salam

A sold 5 stars for the great work that has been done by the Authors。 The investigative work and the information were gathered is incredible。 Even from someone inside the kingdom, you won’t be able to have all these information。 A great analysis and reliable source to understand MBS (A true remark of who he’s) How the future of Saudi Arabia is Going to be if he continues as The De facto Dictator。 Young Saudis must read this book as well as (MBS: the raise to power of Mohammed bin Salman By Ben Hu A sold 5 stars for the great work that has been done by the Authors。 The investigative work and the information were gathered is incredible。 Even from someone inside the kingdom, you won’t be able to have all these information。 A great analysis and reliable source to understand MBS (A true remark of who he’s) How the future of Saudi Arabia is Going to be if he continues as The De facto Dictator。 Young Saudis must read this book as well as (MBS: the raise to power of Mohammed bin Salman By Ben Hubbard) It’s a mandatory to have a political awakening by reading western work on Saudi Arabia。 Bradly Hope and Justin Scheck done an amazing job, this’s a true masterpiece。 Don’t hesitate a second to Read this book。 If you want to understand what’s happening with the so called «New Saudi Arabia» This book is for you。 。。。more

J。M。 Hushour

Bin Salman (referred to MBS in the intellignence and diplomatic community) is one of the many grandsons of Ibn Saud, founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia。 MBS's pops, Salman, is currently king。 MBS, through a series of convoluted maneuverings that could at the very flightiest be called "Machiavellian", is currently crown prince, stepping over many other second and third tier members of the royal family to become heir to the throne。MBS is one of those guys who is a bit of a conundrum, to put it Bin Salman (referred to MBS in the intellignence and diplomatic community) is one of the many grandsons of Ibn Saud, founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia。 MBS's pops, Salman, is currently king。 MBS, through a series of convoluted maneuverings that could at the very flightiest be called "Machiavellian", is currently crown prince, stepping over many other second and third tier members of the royal family to become heir to the throne。MBS is one of those guys who is a bit of a conundrum, to put it lightly。 In his 30s, McDonald's aficionado and self proclaimed video game nut, MBS is well placed to perhaps finally jerk Saudi Arabia into the 21st century。 He is a smart, savvy dude, with the kind of meticulous planning and attention to detail that leads people into graph addictions and an unhealthy amount of "progress indicator ratios" or some other such management-speak bullshit。 His grandiose visions for Saudi Arabia include letting women drive, robots, opening up the country's outstanding and endlessly fascinating archaeological sites, flying cars, and moving away from the Kingdom's long-standing fundamentalist, highly conservative religious strictures。He kind of reminds me of the Kingpin from Daredevil。 You kind of feel for the guy, but then he crushes a poor fucker's head in the door of his Jeep Cherokee repeatedly。 His aspirations and ideas are certainly admirable, but then journalists get sawed into pieces on his watch。 There's plenty of nefarious shit going down in this work。 The authors deal with it distantly and trimly。 Is MBS responsible for all the heinous stuff they're describing? Or is it simply symptomatic of state-running in a state that has no democracy, but a bunch of filthy rich indolent royals who have yachts full of Russian strippers and are worth more than a small country。 MBS doesn't like that either, but his methods are what is questionable。Beyond that, this is a great look at modern Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East writ large over the last few years, commendable on those merits alone, but MBS is a fascinating dude, despite what are apparently some egregious flaws。 。。。more

Kiera

Fascinating。I went into this knowing next to nothing about the Saudis, their kingdom and history or position in international politics and was completely absorbed by this account。 Focusing on current crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his very recent rise to power, the book brings the reader up to speed on the last few decades of Saudi history, political and business interactions and royal court machinations in a way that is accessible and moreish。 At points it's repetitive, using the same lan Fascinating。I went into this knowing next to nothing about the Saudis, their kingdom and history or position in international politics and was completely absorbed by this account。 Focusing on current crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his very recent rise to power, the book brings the reader up to speed on the last few decades of Saudi history, political and business interactions and royal court machinations in a way that is accessible and moreish。 At points it's repetitive, using the same language to remind you of who certain peripheral players are, or reiterating pieces of information that have already been covered, but on the whole this is a fantastic contemporary introduction to a global power player that operates very differently to the West and is currently undergoing a period of rapid change。Well worth your time if you are similarly clueless and want a juicy overview, full of billions of dollars being thrown around, shady governance and political decisions (up to outright assassination and kidnapping) and royal court and family drama。  。。。more

David Blake

Insightful。。。but dragged quite a bit in the last quarter。

Mohd Zaki

Arabian family soap opera。

Sameer

Elite mafia!

Ashwin Purushottam

Exceptionally well researched inside view into the working of the latest supposedly disruptive Saudi crown prince's affairs。 It was an eye opener not only to their unbelievably debauched spending and sexual habits that might make Roman kings look like hermits, but also how hypocritical the US has been in its dealing with Saudi Arabia - the perpetrator of 9/11, mastermind of killing and dismembering critical journalists, and a kingdom with potentially one of the worst human rights records globall Exceptionally well researched inside view into the working of the latest supposedly disruptive Saudi crown prince's affairs。 It was an eye opener not only to their unbelievably debauched spending and sexual habits that might make Roman kings look like hermits, but also how hypocritical the US has been in its dealing with Saudi Arabia - the perpetrator of 9/11, mastermind of killing and dismembering critical journalists, and a kingdom with potentially one of the worst human rights records globally。 An entertaining and thoroughly detailed insights into one of the most inclusive regimes today。 。。。more

Kathy Nguyen

Blood and Oil tells the rise to power of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who, in the span of a few years, not only disrupted Saudi decades-old power structure and social orthodoxies with his aggressive reforms, but also positioned himself as one of the most important figures the US-Saudi relations。 As the story unfolds, readers get to MBS as a charismatic yet ruthless man, whose resolution for his own vision came at the cost of crackdown and bloodshed of those who dare to oppose Blood and Oil tells the rise to power of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who, in the span of a few years, not only disrupted Saudi decades-old power structure and social orthodoxies with his aggressive reforms, but also positioned himself as one of the most important figures the US-Saudi relations。 As the story unfolds, readers get to MBS as a charismatic yet ruthless man, whose resolution for his own vision came at the cost of crackdown and bloodshed of those who dare to oppose。 I stumbled upon this book while browsing through works of Bradley Hope, the author of this book and of Billion Dollar Whale, something I just had finished and enjoyed to a great extent, and the cover of this book cover caught my eyes instantly。 I ventured into reading this book without any specific agenda other than to continue the investigative journalism frenzy that I was deep in。 I also did not have much knowledge of MBS or Saudi politics besides a vague idea that the country was a humongously rich monarchy with kings and princes who run the oil industry as the country's main economy。 The book, of course, in no way could make anyone an expert on Saudi Arabia of the current, but it is an accessible introduction to the subject matter。I enjoyed the informative yet, at times, satirical tone that the authors employed。 This, coupled with the well-paced narration, made it all a more gripping and fun read。 The authors did a good job at highlighting the key figures in Saudi's politics and how power is structured in the kingdom, and usually provided a recap of each character's bio and how they are linked with one another, which made it very easy for readers to follow, considering the vast plane of persons involved with MBS。 The book was packed with a decent amount of details, thus proving itself to be a compiling piece investigative journalism, although the arguments that the authors made appeared to me as mainly reflecting the Western point of view。 However, the overall sentiment towards MBS the authors projected in the book was flattering。 In conclusion, the book was an insightful yet captivating, easy-to-digest introduction to anyone who's interested in understanding Saudi Arabia in the current time。 10/10 would definitely recommend。 。。。more

Iván

Un libro interesante para saber algo sobre un país que está ligado al maná del petróleo。 Un país que influye en el mundo por dicha materia prima y por el Islam más retrógrado del wabismo。 Un país que está gobernado política y económicamente por una familia monárquica interminable y donde la corrupción y el derroche forman parte de su naturaleza。 El protagonista es MBS? un personaje siniestro que nos sirve como hilo conductor para entender las miserias e hipocresias de su propio país y por ende d Un libro interesante para saber algo sobre un país que está ligado al maná del petróleo。 Un país que influye en el mundo por dicha materia prima y por el Islam más retrógrado del wabismo。 Un país que está gobernado política y económicamente por una familia monárquica interminable y donde la corrupción y el derroche forman parte de su naturaleza。 El protagonista es MBS? un personaje siniestro que nos sirve como hilo conductor para entender las miserias e hipocresias de su propio país y por ende del mundo。 Bien investigado y de lectura fácil a pesar de la complejidad de nombres de una interminable familia。 。。。more

Nobutaka H。

Entertaining but repetitive。 The author did a great job chronicling this complex individual and family ties in the book, however, it could have been much shorter。

Nathan Terry John Matthews

Blood and Oil along with Assad or We Burn the Country, are my favourite books of 2021。 Highly recommended!