All nations undergo transformations, moments of political, social and or economic enlightenment which haul them, kicking and screaming, into modernity. But while some nations have the benefit of centuries of gradual change to soften their landings, others are compelled to endure radical re-modellings that span only decades, evolutions which toss them, unprepared, into worlds they do not know. Of these nations, none can claim a recent history more spectacular than Saudi Arabia.
As recently as 1950, Saudi Arabia was a desert kingdom, a canvas of sand and stone dotted with villages and governed by tribes that lived on and worked with land that had more or less remained the same for 2,000 years. But with rise of American power and the discovery of oil in those sands, everything changed. In sixty years, thanks to in whole to the fortunes reaped from its oil, Saudi Arabia has gone from a politically unimportant backwater to a nation of 27 million souls, ruled by a hyper-rich elite who have converted much of their wealth into economic and political power. The former, they've spent on their nation's rapid and jarring modernization, raising cities out of sand dunes. The latter they've spent on consolidating their influence not only throughout the Middle East but abroad as well; after all, Saudi oil flows liberally through gas stations in the United States and China alike. How can a country re-organize itself from a rural, agricultural society to a modern, urban state in two generations?
It can't, at least not peacefully. Too many people to educate, too many people to subordinate, too many people to fit into the new hierarchy... Too much change...Beginning with Juhayman's seizing of the Grand Mosque in 1979, Mr. Lacey, a British historian, charts the shifting sands of Saudi Arabian life that have characterized its rise to prominence. He accomplishes this largely through an examination of the Saudi royal family, beginning with each king's political and economic policies before describing how those policies have impacted on everyday Saudis and the lives they struggle to lead. The picture that emerges is chaotic, a tangled web of tribal loyalties, powerful interests and religious zealousness which, together, have prevented Saudi Arabia from developing a healthy civil society.
Mr. Lacey rarely misses his mark. Though he, like every critic of the Middle East, has a tendency to draw overly general conclusions from the available evidence, he spends the majority of this chronicle laying down a solid narrative that covers the key events in recent, Saudi history and the prime movers who have participated in and shaped those events. From the chaos of the Siege of Mecca to the terror of 9-11, Mr. Lacey is informative about the cultural and political challenges the Kingdom has faced and will face in the future. But while I come away from Inside The Kingdom educated about the roadblocks that stand in the way of Saudi Arabia's liberalization, this piece offers almost nothing but a cursory description of the factional forces that fragment the kingdom into its three major regions, Mecca in the west, Riyadh in the center and the oil fields in the east. In other words, this is a Great Man history, one that concentrates on the movers and shakers, not the movements that underpin them.
Politically sharp and narratively gripping. This is good and informative work, but I will have to look elsewhere for an understanding of the Saudi Arabian people. (3/5 Stars)
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