Thicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Thicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia
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"Rachel Bronson's Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia takes on an important subject matter, the history of the U.S.--Saudi relationship, and makes an important contribution to the literature. Bronson's book is thoroughly researched, with extensive citations to diplomatic accounts, autobiographies, government documents, and intersting interviews woven into a storyboard text that is lieable and enjoyable to read."--Amy Myers Jaffe, International Journal of Middle East Studies
About the Author
Rachel Bronson is Vice President of Programs and Studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Her writings have appeared in publications such as Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. She has commented widely on foreign affairs in outlets such as NPR, CNN, The Lehrer News Hour, The Charlie Rose Show, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
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Product details
Paperback: 388 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (June 25, 2008)
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
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Victor55
4.0 out of 5 starsDrilling Deep in Saudi ArabiaAugust 10, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I have spent over a year of my life in Saudi Arabia over the course of a twenty year career. This book helped me gain understanding and context to the bigger picture of what was going on in SA during my times there in the 80's and 90's. It also provided deep background and details that influenced thinking and decisions through the various crisis's in the region since the 1950's and explains the royal families push for Islam to control it's people and deter communism. Unfortunately the seeds sewn through the cold war are now reaping radical Islam fanatics that hate the western world and what we represent. Although a bit long, this book does have detail, and provides some solutions worth reading and keeping.
2 people found this helpful
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Boyce Hart
4.0 out of 5 starsArguably that's another book but there should be off-ramps because the Monarchy and these two are like the Hooper TripletsJanuary 26, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Missing lots about US intel and big oil Regime building in Saudi Arabia. Arguably that's another book but there should be off-ramps because the Monarchy and these two are like the Hooper Triplets. Overall, however, well worth the kindle price. Nice and useful brief overview of Monarchy from 1740s up to WWI.
The Strongest point of this book is it's depiction of US and Saudi intelligence overlapping in what some writers call The Safari Club of late 1970s and how this sowed the seeds of today's plural of ISIS from Africa all the way to Indonesia.
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George Mason
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat outline of both Security and Economic TiesDecember 20, 2011
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great Book. Rachel Bronson does some great analytics on the various security, economic, and relational aspects of US-Saudi interaction over the last 80 years. It starts where Denny leaves off ("We Fight for Oil" 1928) and leads us through the various twists and turns of US - Saudi relations from the end of WWII and British Empire through the Cold War up to Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also highlights some of the more blunt realities in that relationship: "The fact that Saudi Arabia controls the largest oil resources in the world gives it a long-term interest in stable and long term prices to dissuade conservation and alternative fuels off the market." The only down side of this book is that Bronson argues strongly that we need Saudi Arabia as a partner but neglects to point out the full ramifications of past outcomes of that pairing. Perhaps we (the US) need to focus more on energy independence from the Middle East rather than how to ensure stability for the current fuel economy?
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Lee L.
5.0 out of 5 starsan absolutely remarkable piece of researchAugust 4, 2006
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Saudi Arabia, and America's relationship with it, is quite possibly one of the most important aspects of the Middle East today. While issues such as Iraq, and conflicts involving Israel are also of great importance, Rachel Bronson has done a great service by producing a compelling piece of work that is really unmatched in terms of approach, documentation, and presentation. There are many poorly written books about the Middle East today that do more harm than good. Bronson's book certainly does not fall into this category and is one of the best books on the area that I have ever read.
What you'll get in this book is a history of America's relationship with the modern state of Saudi Arabia. As the title suggests, there is much more to this relationship than oil, and the relationship goes far beyond that of the Bush family. Bronson has gone a long way in debunking much of the conspiracy theory garbage that has been produced from both the left and right on this subject. Her sources and methods are close to perfect here, and it is rare to find an author that goes to such great lengths to make sure that a full and accurate picture is presented. The amount of sources in this book is beyond belief, and her selected bibliography is filled with enough books to keep you busy for a long, long time.
The most refreshing aspect of this book is that Bronson demonstrates how so much of what would be considered "common knowledge" about Saudi Arabia is flat out wrong. What Bronson has done with this book is shown how lazy most other observers of the region actually are in their research. Since reading this book, I have flipped through a number of other books about Saudi Arabia, and I can clearly see at this point that most other authors start with their conclusion and work backwards from it. Bronson conducts honest research, lets her work speak for itself and as a result, her biggest strength is her ability to take a subject that so many authors have sensationalized, and produce a serious work that actually contributes to a greater understanding of that subject, rather than a book that detracts from it. By taking a quick look at the titles of many other books about Saudi Arabia, it is clear that more often than not, authors are taking a subject of vital importance, and making things worse rather than better.
This goes for films too. It makes me queasy to think back to the days when I thought Fahrenheit 9/11 had provided me with a sufficient understanding of Saudi Arabia and America's relationship with it. After reading this book, I can't even begin to describe how poorly equipped a person would be if they thought Michael Moore's film gave them a better grasp of U.S.-Saudi relations.
Put simply, this book is a must-read if you seek a greater understanding of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East in general. There is no excuse for serious observers of the region to pass over this book. But even if you are new to the subject matter, this book will be immensely helpful. It is well-written, and quite clear in its presentation. It is my sincere hope that as many people read this book as possible.
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Gary
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a very very good book. The relationship between Said and American interests are very well reviewed. The best part is mucJune 28, 2016
.the interrelationships between Israel and PALESTINE is very moonlighting. Also the Cold war and communist aggression in the middle east was presented very well. The amount of money that Sadi Arabia spent was new information that I had never heard. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Middle east.
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Finally a book that puts the Middle East into a framework we can all understand. I loved the historical background and seeing where it all began. Great read.
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5.0 out of 5 starsEye opening!June 22, 2016
Eye opening; it explains a lot of actions taken by our country that were never revealed to the public. Seeing the progression of events succinctly organized in one volume shines a light on a multi-decade partnership by giving the reader answers to questions about the U.S.attempts,for example after 9/11, and why the government worked so hard to try and keep the the fact that most of the terrorists on that fateful day were Saudi nationals. Great book.
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3.0 out of 5 starsInformity Read On Our PartnershipJune 25, 2016
I found the book informity about our relationships in the middle east. If you want a quick read, I recommend this one. By reading this book, I am now reading others books about the area and what a pain the in side they are to us.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsAugust 21, 2017
Very informative! This book deserves more attention than it has received. Well written!
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5.0 out of 5 starsBest Current Book on Saudi ArabiaApril 17, 2006
As one very familiar with Saudi Arabia--and who blogs about it at Crossroads Arabia--I find Rachel Bronson's book to be the current best on the topic.
Without shying away from problems in Saudi Arabia, or within the US-Saudi relationship, Bronson treats all parties involved fairly. I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia in the early 80s, and then again from shortly after 9/11 'til October of 2003. Much of what she writes about, I experienced from within the US Embassy in Riyadh and my travels around the country. Her observations and assessments almost exactly match my own.
She carefully points out that for most of its history, Saudi Arabia and the US had mutual interests, primarily in fighting the Cold War against the Soviet Union. These mutual interests overrode differences. For example, using religion as a weapon in that war was something both the Saudis and the American governments--from Eisenhower through the early Clinton administration--saw as desirable and useful. But due to domestic political pressures, as well as those from a revolutionary Iran, the Saudi government let things go too far.
After jointly chasing the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the US government--as well as the Saudis--largely forgot about all the people who were sent there on a mission, both religious and military. We are all still facing the consequences of that negligence today.
Bronson also points out that Saudi reforms are real; that the Saudis provided far more support to the US government in its wars against Afghanistan and Iraq than it's generally credited for; and that pressuring the Saudi government to pick up the pace of reform requires something more careful than simply shouting at them from a newspaper or Congressional hearing.
If you're interested in what's going on in Saudi Arabia right now, there's no better place to start than with this book.
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