This is okay as a primer on MBS's recent moves, but it felt more like a stitching together of multiple op-eds than a cohesive narrative of MBS's rise This is okay as a primer on MBS's recent moves, but it felt more like a stitching together of multiple op-eds than a cohesive narrative of MBS's rise to power. There are times when the narrative jumps forward and backwards in time, and the reveals aren't really punchy enough to justify the cloak-and-dagger air that this book tries to present.
It was still an enjoyable read, and if you want a broad strokes catch-up on Saudi court intrigue in the 2010s, this will be sufficient. If you read the Africa + Middle East section of the newspapers during that time period, you can probably skip this one.
A high-level overview of the Saudi position during the Afghan-Soviet War. Covers a very brief primer on Afghan history, the nature of the Afghan stateA high-level overview of the Saudi position during the Afghan-Soviet War. Covers a very brief primer on Afghan history, the nature of the Afghan state, Soviet influence on the Communist party factions in Afghanistan (Parcham v. Khalq), the eventual CIA + Saudi + ISI financial/weapons pipelines, and key moments in the war from 1979 (invasion) to 1989 (retreat) to civil war (1992) to Taliban consolidation (1996 - 2003).
I found this a useful book in terms of how the Saudi intelligence cooperated with the Pakistani ISI and American CIA, as well as how they viewed the different mujahideen factions (note: charisma is important, not just in DnD), with many colourful anecdotes that made it an enjoyable read as well. Prince Turki's writing style is succinct (bordering on terse at times) and he managed to condense a good amount of information into a relatively small book. However, I'm taking this book with a grain of salt since it appears to whitewash the Saudis of any wrongdoing re: the rise of Al-Qaeda.
Pretty short book, can be finished in a day -- took me longer because I was interspersing it with others. ...more
Pretty good account of the Coalition Provisional Authority's work in Iraq right after the 2003 invasion. Chandrasekaran also dives into the political Pretty good account of the Coalition Provisional Authority's work in Iraq right after the 2003 invasion. Chandrasekaran also dives into the political powerplays that underlaid CPA decision-making. Would recommend to anyone looking for an engaging summarization of the mood in post-war Iraq.
A superbly researched book. Kinzer knits an engrossing narrative of the American-led coup and its context within the wider world of anti-colonialism, A superbly researched book. Kinzer knits an engrossing narrative of the American-led coup and its context within the wider world of anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, nationalization, and democratic political consciousness taking shape in Iran in the first half of the 20th century. He also lays out a history of the Persian Shahs and their lineages that led up to the late 1800s. The main focus of this book is on the obstinate, neocolonial attitudes of the British with regards to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company being nationalized by the Iranian government under Mossadegh. Although they could have dealt with the situation by acting in good faith, their approach was colored by a racist, entitled attitude towards Iran's sovereign natural wealth. This eventually coalesced into an American-approved coup during the Eisenhower administration (Truman supported nationlization and was loathe to participate in any foreign coup attempts) with the Dulles brothers largely shaping and executing on it. The success of this coup likely led to a streak of foreign interventionism that influenced the US's policies towards countries in the second half of the 20th century (starting with the 1954 coup in Guatemala).
I should note that Kinzer remains objective throughout the book, and uses first-hand sources to add weight to his observations.
To get an idea of the man Mossadegh was and the emotion that he inspired in the Iranian people, here's an excerpt from the book that details his last years while under house arrest (a fate that he was sentenced to following three years in a military prison, and under which he remained until he died) in Ahmad Abad:
(apologies for the poor formatting, copied it straight from the PDF)
"Although many accounts describe Mossadegh as having suffered from various ailments, especially in his later years, and although his three years in solitary confinement cannot have been healthy for a man his age, Mr. Takrousta remembered him as strong and vigorous. Once Mr. Takrousta began talking, stories flowed out. Mossadegh had opened a pharmacy where medicine was distributed free to villagers, loaned money to those in need, built an insulated shed to keep ice in summertime, and distributed free bags of grain to each of his laborers at Ramadan and on New Year’s Day. “Mossadegh was not like a normal landlord,” Mr. Takrousta told me. “He ran his estate like a charity. Most of what he grew, he gave back to the workers. Everyone here loved him. Any kind of a problem that you had, you would go to him and he would take care of it. From the highest official to the poorest worker, he treated everyone the same.” One day, my new friend told me, a peasant came to Mossadegh to complain that he had been detained by some of the local Savak agents, taken to their headquarters, and beaten while they shouted questions about Mossadegh’s habits and conversations. “It was the only time I ever saw him get angry. He called the police chief and shouted at him to come to the house immediately. When he got to the house, Mossadegh pushed him against a wall, held his cane against the guy’s throat and shouted: ‘You are here to watch me, and you have no right to abuse anyone else. If you have a problem, you come to me and only me! Don’t ever, ever lay a finger on one of my people again!’ This was a Savak officer and not a nice man at all, but when this happened he started apologizing and begging forgiveness. After that, the police never went near us. The jailer was afraid of the prisoner!
I asked if Mr. Takrousta and his neighbors felt different from people in other villages, and he assured me that they did. “We not only feel different, we are different,” he told me. “We’re different because of the effect Mossadegh had on us. Visitors come here from far away. They don’t come to any other village. People here are proud that we had the privilege of having such a great man here. We try to behave according to the example he gave us. We have a sense of charity, cooperation, unity, solidarity. We take the hands of people in need. People from other villages know we’re like this, and when they have problems, they come to us and we help them. You can’t think of Ahmad Abad without thinking of Mossadegh. He’s the father of our nation but also the father of this village. It’s really a shame that they destroyed his government.” I asked who “they” were. Mr. Takrousta paused, unsure of himself. He stared up at the sky for a long moment and then spoke slowly. “I’m a simple, uneducated villager,” he said. “I don’t know who ‘they’ are. But whoever they are, they don’t want our people to be free and raise ourselves up.”
Medium-long book, finished over a month of intermittent reading. Can probably do it in 4 or 5 days of committed reading though. ...more