Books : Saudi Arabia Exposed : Inside a Kingdom in Crisis, Updated Edition

In association with Amazon.com
 View Shopping Cart or Checkout 

Author name: John R. Bradley

: Saudi Arabia Exposed : Inside a Kingdom in Crisis, Updated Edition
View Bigger Picture
Regular marked price: $13.95
Discount Price: $11.16
Cost Savings: $2.79 (20%)
Price fluctuation possible.

Used Price: $4.85
Collectible Price: $69.90
Third Party New Price: $8.00


How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day



Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 953.8053
EAN num: 9781403970770
ISBN number: 1403970777
Label: Palgrave Macmillan
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: May 28, 2006
Publishing house: Palgrave Macmillan
Release Date: May 11, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 51635
Studio: Palgrave Macmillan



Other books you might be interested in perusing:

Editor's Notes and Comments:

Product Description:
Saudi Arabia: land of oil, terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism, and a crucial American ally. John R. Bradley uniquely exposes the turmoil that is shaking the House of Saud to its foundations, including the problems within the new leadership. From the heart of the secretive Islamic kingdom's urban centers to its most remote mountainous terrain, he provides intimate details and reveals regional, religious, and tribal rivalries.
Bradley highlights tensions generated by social change, the increasing restlessness of Saudi youth with limited cultural and political outlets, and the predicament of Saudi women seeking opportunities but facing constraints.
What are the implications for the Sauds and the West? This book offers a startling look at the present predicament and a troubling view of the future.




Customer Reviews
User popularity level: out of 5 stars

Rated by buyers 2 out of 5 stars - Through a Glass Darkly
Perhaps on a sunny day I might have given it a 3-star rating. Unlike much of the Saudi-bashing literature available, John Bradley not only actually visited Saudi Arabia, he lived there for 2-3 years. Furthermore, he did travel around the country, giving the reader a feeling that there is much more than just a monolithic "Saudi" culture and attitude. There are the "flower men" of the Asir; there is the region of the far north, the Al Jawf basin; the Shiites of the Eastern province; and, of course, the "liberal' Hijaz, where he lived, as opposed to the conservative, "Wahhabi" heartland, the Nedj. When he focuses on a problem or a deficiency of Saudi society, occasionally, but only occasionally, he does make the point that the same problem exists in the West, for example when he is discussing the exploitation of foreign workers (p.122), he does say that it is a universal problem, and specifically singles out the United States as an offender. I also thought that if I had worked at the "Arab News," with the exigencies imposed on its numerous workers from the Indian sub-continent, perhaps I'd be in a foul mood also. But he does make some illuminating points regarding his journalist work, when he amusingly states that Thomas Friedman and Daniel Pipes see a "change in the Arab mindset" in reading the Arab News, yet it is actually Bradley who is writing the article. (p188)

The tone of the book, and certainly the attitude of the author, is established by the book's grey cover, and the titillation of the title, "Saudi Arabia Exposed," another "ripping the veil asunder." He plays to that angle with statements like, in reference to foreigners: "....and were limited, (as were all foreigners, until recently) to traveling in only approved areas." (xii of the Introduction). Yet thousands and thousands of expatriates traveled freely throughout the country, going anywhere (save for Makkah and Medina for non-Muslims) since the `70's. Did he not ask one? He claims to be an Arabic speaker, yet translates the popular TV show, "Tash ma Tash" as "No big deal"! He had the opportunity to explain the title's antecedents, but apparently did not understand them. He describes the backwater that was Jeddah of the `30's (p10) as the "most cosmopolitan city of the Muslim world." What of Istanbul, Baghdad, Cairo and Tehran? He makes blanket assertions describing the Kingdom as: "it is a second-rate totalitarian regime incorporating some primitive feudal traditions. (p 157). He speaks much of the corruption and incompetence in the Kingdom, but never asks the question, is there more corruption and more incompetence in Washington, DC.

So I'd give Bradley some points for at least occasionally raising the comparative issues between Saudi and Western cultures, and not always assuming that the Western ones are superior, though his biases are clear. Overall though, he suffers from that smug journalist occupational hazard of visiting one place once, conducting an interview with someone who may or may not be telling him what he wants to hear, and then thinking that he understands the situation, because, well, if he did not, then he would not be a good journalist.



Rated by buyers 2 out of 5 stars - Important Subject Matter Poorly Handled
With the amount of attention the country gets in the western press, you'd think that there would be a metric ton of decent books out there on the modern history of Saudi Arabia. You'd be wrong.

This one by journalist John Bradley was recommended as a good one, since he was one of the few western journalists inside Saudi at the time of the 9/11 attacks he did have unqiue access. Too bad he can't write to save his life. The chronology of the book is confused. The sentence stucture is often awful, and what is often meant to be a telling detail instead comes off as contrived. I am shocked that he has written for publications like the Economist.

Though the writing is poor, in Bradley's defense, this book is at least somewhat balanced, and he clearly has a real affection for the culture and some of the people he met there. This isn't jingositic western propoganda (like much of what is written about Saudi) but it also isn't a very good book.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - Insightful Portrayal Of The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
Bradley is a journalist who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for more than 2 years. This book describes what he observed, obviously from a Western perspective, while living there. Some of what he discusses has been covered in other books. For example, the strict segregation of men and women, the brutal public executions and the extreme corruption and hypocrisy of the Saudi royal family. He also mentions the poor education and professional training received by most Saudi citizens which requires the country to be dependent on foreign workers. Many of these workers are people from poor countries such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines who do the "dirty jobs" that, supposedly, Saudis don't want to do themselves. But I find this questionable since Bradley also describes the high rate of unemployment among Saudi citizens and the fact that many of them live in poverty while the Saudi royals bask in the enormous wealth generated by the oil business.

Bradley also talks about the good qualities of the typical Saudi person, such as kindness, hospitality and generosity. There are certain Western right-wingers and Christian zealots who have an anti-Muslim agenda and are clearly biased in their writings. But Bradley doesn't strike me as that sort of person. I think he is simply trying to explain his experiences in Saudi Arabia with as much honesty and truth as possible. Of course, he is seeing the country from the point of view of a non-Muslim Westerner. But that doesn't mean he is necessarily wrong in what he is saying.

However, what really takes this book to the "5 stars" level for me is that he elaborates on the regionally based political and cultural differences in the kingdom. He talks about the Hijaz area, including Jeddah, as having a long history as an international center of trade which makes it somewhat more liberal and sophisticated than the rest of the country. The southern region is called Asir and includes people who, in many ways, have more in common with the neighboring country of Yemen than with their fellow Saudis. Finally, there is the Eastern province which is largely made up of Shiite Muslims who, like the people from Hijaz and Asir, often finds themselves at odds with the Wahhabi dominated central region which includes the royal family and the Wahhabi religious establishment that controls the country politically. In other words, Saudi Arabia is a complex and diverse society with people from a variety of religious and cultural perspectives who are seeking to challenge the hold on power by the Wahhabis and the royal family. This is not the picture provided to the broader American public, who tend to recognize that the royals are corrupt but still see them as the lesser of two evils when compared to the Osama allied extremists. Obviously, the situation there is more complicated than most people think.

I actually came away feeling at least a little more optimistic about the future, or at least the potential, of the country. But, of course, Saudi Arabia still faces a tremendous amount of problems and what happens there will continue to be of vital importance to the rest of us, especially considering that the Saudis have 1/4 of the world's known supply of petroleum.


Rated by buyers 3 out of 5 stars - A little bias detected
This was the fourth book that I read about Saudi Arabia and although I thought the descriptives were very good in that Bradley goes into some depth that other authors may consider too trivial (i.e. Najran and Flower Men), the author clearly takes hold of the arab militancy with a one track mind. This was the very first post-911 book I read about the Kingdom and I was curious to find out what has changed, and all I found was a loud-echo of anti-Wahhabism and the outcry of abused Asian workers. I understand very well that K.S.A. has many issues in that area, but I also know many families who treat their workers well. I'm always leary of books that incite anger in me as I read, and this certainly made me angry and defensive toward the Kingdom when I have already met so many wonderful Saudis who give me an entirely different perspective. A fuel on the American bias fire, but worth reading if but for the descriptives of Shiite history in the Kingdom.


Rated by buyers 1 out of 5 stars - Try Again
really needs to try again here I was in the kingdom the same time as this man and have read his account, but cannot agree, one thing to put straight here is that the mention of a Keith Birmingham as an engineer is incorrect he was a welder for Saudi Arabian Airlines at the engine overhaul centre in Jeddah. Perhaps had John really spent time out and about in the rest of Saudi and met the those who you can say are not the city folk could probably had a very good book but this account is far from complete

see more

Find other books like this one:

 


Skin Care Psoriasis / Solution For Panic Attack / Bessie Bradf0rds Prize / Baby Mine / Cars /
Unique Corporate Gift Personalized Gifts Guttate Psoriasis The Game Sherlock Holmes Beach Wedding Favors Wizard Of Oz Photo Sherlock Holmes Book Jungle Book Dvd Cheap Anniversary Gift Islam Disneys Alice In Wonderland

Home - Soccer - Swords - Tennis - Baseball
Basketball
Body Building
Hockey
Football