Behind the Kingdom's Veil

Witness the Mysterious World of Saudi Arabia"A fascinating account of the significant changes underway in Saudi Arabia based on years of excellent reporting on the ground in the Kingdom." -Bruce Riedel, director of the Brookings Institution Intelligence Project and author of Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States Since FDR#1 New Release in Saudi Arabia History
Take a deep dive behind the veils and walls of one of the world's most secretive countries. Learn how religious conservatism and strict laws governing women's freedoms over the past forty years support a single goal-preserving the power of the House of Saud.Few have first-hand knowledge of Saudi Arabia. Now, Susanne Koelbl, award-winning journalist for the German news magazine Der Spiegel, unveils many secrets of this mysterious kingdom. For years she traveled the Middle East, and recently lived in Riyadh during the most dramatic changes since the country's founding. She has cultivated relationships on every level of Saudi society and is equally at ease with ultra-conservative Wahhabi preachers, oppositionists, and women from all walks of life.Have breakfast with Royal Highnesses, meet Osama bin Laden's bomb-making trainer, enter palaces of secret service chiefs.Listen to intimate conversations with women ambivalent about their newly offered freedoms.Get to know journalist Jamal Khashoggi, murdered and brutally dismembered in 2018.View an in-depth portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), contrasting liberalization of Saudi society with punitive treatment of dissenters.Open the black box that is Saudi Arabia. Become an eyewitness to the country's inner workings. Learn about the not-so-obvious facts of its history, politics, and customs. Understand the intricate and often hidden power relations within the kingdom.If you have read books such as Karen Elliott House's On Saudi Arabia or Robert Lacey's Inside the Kingdom, this book should be your next read.