What to read (and watch) to understand Saudi Arabia
Five books and a film help make sense of the rapidly changing country
FOR A COUNTRY of 40m people that is largely desert, Saudi Arabia has a surprisingly big role in the wider world. The second-largest producer of oil, it often sets the international price of that commodity. The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, in western Saudi Arabia, attracts millions of Muslims. Under Muhammad bin Salman, the crown prince and the country’s de facto ruler for the past six years, Saudi Arabia has sought to expand both its hard and soft power. It is trying to bring to an end an eight-year war that it has been fighting in neighbouring Yemen against Iran-backed rebels. In 2018 agents of the Saudi government murdered Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Prince Muhammad. The kingdom is trying to improve its reputation by pouring money into less brutish pursuits, like golf. While consolidating power Prince Muhammad, who is often known as MBS, is also modernising Saudi Arabia, for example by reducing the influence of clergy and boosting the rights of women. These five books and a film help explain a confounding and important country.
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