Justin Scheck

Druzja i vragi za glaza nazyvajut Mukhammeda ibn Salmana Al Sauda prosto MBS. Naslednomu printsu Saudovskoj Aravii ne ispolnilos i soroka, no ego uzhe schitajut odnim iz naibolee vlijatelnykh i protivorechivykh politikov v mire. Prints obajatelen, khiter i umeet riskovat, on tschatelno sledit za svoej reputatsiej, tsenit predannykh sojuznikov i obschaetsja na ravnykh s politikami Zapada i Vostoka. Za korotkij srok on oderzhal pobedu v dvortsovykh intrigakh, liberalizoval strogie normy obschestvennogo povedenija i objavil masshtabnuju programmu reform, prizvannykh snizit zavisimost strany ot neftjanykh dokhodov. A esche MBS izvesten roskoshnym dazhe po merkam sauditov obrazom zhizni, on zhestoko raspravljaetsja s politicheskimi protivnikami, kritikami i nezavisimymi zhurnalistami. Mukhammed govoril dva chasa bez pereryva. Vremja ot vremeni on ssylalsja na finansovye prognozy, ne zagljadyvaja v zapisi. On perechisljal otrasli saudovskoj ekonomiki, kotorye mozhno bylo by modernizirovat ili sozdat s nulja, chtoby umenshit zavisimost strany ot eksporta nefti. Prints po pamjati ukazyval ozhidaemye tempy rosta otraslej i ikh dokhodnost. Ego plan vkljuchal kak shagi, kotorye vpolne mozhno bylo realizovat na praktike (snizhenie raskhodov na subsidii, povyshenie nalogov i t. d.), tak i zamysly iz oblasti nauchnoj fantastiki - naprimer, modernizatsiju tselogo regiona na poberezhe Krasnogo morja, gde mashiny letali by po vozdukhu, a ljudej obsluzhivali by roboty (obschestvennost uznaet ob etikh idejakh tolko cherez god). V svoej sensatsionnoj knige izvestnye zhurnalisty-rassledovateli The Wall Street Journal rasskazyvajut pravdivuju istoriju o voskhozhdenii Mukhammeda ibn Salmana k vershinam vlasti, predlagaja unikalnyj vzgljad na sovremennuju politicheskuju arenu Saudovskoj Aravii i vsego Blizhnego Vostoka. Sredi zaderzhannykh byli i te, kogo prosto nevozmozhno bylo predstavit v roli uznikov, - naprimer, Mutaib ibn Abdalla, syn pochivshego korolja i glava Natsionalnoj gvardii Saudovskoj Aravii - osobogo podrazdelenija vooruzhennykh sil, otvetstvennogo za okhranu chlenov korolevskoj semi. V Natsionalnoj gvardii sluzhat 125 000 chelovek, dislotsirovannykh na bazakh, razbrosannykh po vsej strane. V chislo zadach podrazdelenija vkhodit predotvraschenie popytok gosudarstvennogo perevorota. Kazalos by, vozglavljat podobnuju strukturu mozhet tolko chelovek, polzujuschijsja absoljutnym doveriem korolja, no poskolku Mutaib byl esche i potentsialnym naslednikom prestola, on tozhe stal uznikom otelja Ritz. Za neskolko dnej byli arestovany okolo 50 chelovek. V sledujuschie neskolko nedel v Ritz i drugie nadezhno okhranjaemye zdanija v Er-Rijade dostavili esche bolee 300 chelovek.

'If you've ever wondered what would happen if limitless money met limitless power, wonder no longer, it's all here ... Terrifying, disturbing and ghastly' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland'Explosive' The Times'[A] Crisp page-turner of a book teeming with telling detail ... Splendid' Financial Times'The fascinating and highly entertaining tale ... Fly-on-the-wall reporting and palace intrigue worthy of Machiavelli' John Carreyrou, author of Bad BloodLonglisted for the 2020 Financial Times / McKinsey Business Book of the YearBlood and Oil the explosive untold story of how Mohammed bin Salman and his entourage grabbed power in the Middle East and acquired a network of Western allies - including well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians - all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince. Through astonishing interviews with powerful insiders, Blood and Oil tells how MBS's cabal played the Saudi economy and capitalised on the omnipotence of feudal power while effectively stamping out dissent, before allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out. A story of breathtaking dealings that range from Riyadh to London, Paris to America, this is a thrilling and brutal investigation into extreme wealth, one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders, and the bid for Saudi transformation that is reverberating around the world.'This is as close to the truth, to the real story of the corruption, vulgarities, horrors, and lies of the Kingdom and its current despot as we are likely to get. It also can be read as a Shakespearean story of utter greed' Seymour Hersh, author of Chain of Command

From award-winning Wall Street Journal reporters comes a revelatory look at the inner workings of the world's most powerful royal family, and how the struggle for succession produced Saudi Arabia's charismatic but ruthless Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS.​ 35-year-old Mohammed bin Salman's sudden rise stunned the world. Political and business leaders such as former UK prime minister Tony Blair and WME chairman Ari Emanuel flew out to meet with the crown prince and came away convinced that his desire to reform the kingdom was sincere. He spoke passionately about bringing women into the workforce and toning down Saudi Arabia's restrictive Islamic law. He lifted the ban on women driving and explored investments in Silicon Valley. But MBS began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants and public relations experts like McKinsey & Company. The allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out, including that he ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While stamping out dissent by holding 300 people, including prominent members of the Saudi royal family, in the Ritz-Carlton hotel and elsewhere for months, he continued to exhibit his extreme wealth, including buying a $70 million chateau in Europe and one of the world's most expensive yachts. It seemed that he did not understand nor care about how the outside world would react to his displays of autocratic muscle--what mattered was the flex. Blood and Oil is a gripping work of investigative journalism about one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders. Hope and Scheck show how MBS' precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of US-Saudi relations for more than 80 years: oil, for military protection. Caught in his net are well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians, all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince. The Middle East is already a volatile region. Add to the mix an ambitious prince with extraordinary powers, hunger for lucre, a tight relationship with the White House through President Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, and an apparent willingness to break anything--and anyone--that gets in the way of his vision, and the stakes of his rise are bracing. If his bid fails, Saudi Arabia has the potential to become an unstable failed state and a magnet for Islamic extremists. And if his bid to transform his country succeeds, even in part, it will have reverberations around the world. Longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award

From award-winning Wall Street Journal reporters comes a revelatory look at the inner workings of the world's most powerful royal family, and how the struggle for succession produced Saudi Arabia's charismatic but ruthless Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS.​ 35-year-old Mohammed bin Salman's sudden rise stunned the world. Political and business leaders such as former UK prime minister Tony Blair and WME chairman Ari Emanuel flew out to meet with the crown prince and came away convinced that his desire to reform the kingdom was sincere. He spoke passionately about bringing women into the workforce and toning down Saudi Arabia's restrictive Islamic law. He lifted the ban on women driving and explored investments in Silicon Valley. But MBS began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants and public relations experts like McKinsey & Company. The allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out, including that he ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While stamping out dissent by holding 300 people, including prominent members of the Saudi royal family, in the Ritz-Carlton hotel and elsewhere for months, he continued to exhibit his extreme wealth, including buying a $70 million chateau in Europe and one of the world's most expensive yachts. It seemed that he did not understand nor care about how the outside world would react to his displays of autocratic muscle--what mattered was the flex. Blood and Oil is a gripping work of investigative journalism about one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders. Hope and Scheck show how MBS' precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of US-Saudi relations for more than 80 years: oil, for military protection. Caught in his net are well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians, all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince. The Middle East is already a volatile region. Add to the mix an ambitious prince with extraordinary powers, hunger for lucre, a tight relationship with the White House through President Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, and an apparent willingness to break anything--and anyone--that gets in the way of his vision, and the stakes of his rise are bracing. If his bid fails, Saudi Arabia has the potential to become an unstable failed state and a magnet for Islamic extremists. And if his bid to transform his country succeeds, even in part, it will have reverberations around the world. Longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award