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The Changing Contours of Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman and the Paradox of Saudi Reforms

This review article aims to provide broader nuances about Saudi Arabia amid the rapid developments taking place in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). This article begins with Salman’s Legacy, edited by Madawi al-Rasheed, and subsequently, takes up Madawi al-Rasheed’s The Son King and Ben Hubbard’s biography of MBS. It provides a brief summary of the books under review and analyzes their different themes while critically examining their prevailing shortcomings.

The Changing Contours of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and
 

 

 

 

Salman’s Legacy: The Dilemmas of a New Era
in Saudi Arabia

Edited by Madawi al-Rasheed

London: C. Hurst & Co. Publications, 2018, 367 pages, $42.13, ISBN: 9781849049658

 

The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia

By Madawi al-Rasheed

London: Hurst & Company, 2020, 394 pages, $33.45, ISBN: 9781787383791

 

MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman

By Ben Hubbard

New York: Tim Duggan Books, 2020, 392 pages, $26.20, ISBN: 9781984823847

 

 

Modern Saudi Arabia, which enjoys a special place in the Muslim world as the birthplace of Islam, came into existence in 1932. Tribal alliances, feuds, and flexible loyalties still shape the landscape, as they have done ever since the time when Ibn Saud, Amir of Hijaz allied with Imam Abdul Wahhab. Saudi Arabia has no congress, no parliament, no president, and no supreme court. The country continues to be a monarchy that follows a conservative interpretation of Islam. This review article aims to provide broader nuances about Saudi Arabia amid the rapid developments taking place in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). This article begins with Salman’s Legacy, edited by Madawi al-Rasheed, and subsequently, takes up Madawi al-Rasheed’s The Son King and Ben Hubbard’s biography of MBS. It provides a brief summary of the books under review and analyzes their different themes while critically examining their prevailing shortcomings.

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