The Son King

‘This book heralds the emergence of an organized political opposition in the growing Saudi Arabian diaspora.’ -- Foreign Affairs
'Anyone interested in what is happening in Saudi Arabia will find [this] a good read … The Son King joins the growing body of work that unmasks the reality of repression in the Kingdom and challenges the simplistic notion of Saudi Arabians as religious extremists who need a royal strongman to keep them in check.’ -- Middle East Monitor
'Packed with information about Saudi Arabia that is fascinating in its own right ... [Al-Rasheed] offers many invaluable insights into a country whose future may be less certain than it looks to outsiders.' * The Tablet *
'With MBS a stone's throw away from the throne of Saudi Arabia, this book couldn't be more urgently needed. Madawi Al-Rasheed sets the crown prince within a wider historical context and exposes the repression behind his image as a "liberal reformer".' -- Iyad El-Baghdadi, writer, activist and founder of the Kawaakibi Foundation
'An exceptionally clear-sighted, readable analysis of the regime of Crown Prince Muhammad ibn Salman. With consummate skill, Al-Rasheed has dissected his programme of populist nationalism, bringing to light the methods used, but also the contradictions at its heart.' -- Charles Tripp, Professor Emeritus of Politics, SOAS University of London
'This book felt close to my heart as a woman activist and exile. Madawi Al-Rasheed provides nuanced analysis of reimagined Saudi nationalism, the excessive repression sold as the inevitable price of reforms, and the resistance of a new diaspora movement. A must-read.' -- Hala Al-Dosari, activist and Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow, MIT Center for International Studies
'A brilliant response to those who claim that Saudis need enlightened despotism to get ahead. Despotic the Son King surely is, but his lights are off, and he is driving his country--and the region--into the wall. Woe to the land whose king is a child.' -- Pascal Menoret, Renée and Lester Crown Professor of Modern Middle East Studies, Brandeis University
'Madawi Al-Rasheed brilliantly goes beyond the overused dichotomy between "reform" and "tradition" and studies the social and political realities of Saudi Arabia's new era. From populist nationalism to a growing Saudi diaspora, "The Son King" is an essential book for understanding the crown prince's kingdom.' -- Abdullah Alaoudh, Visiting Adjunct Professor, George Washington University