David Rundell studied Arabic at Oxford and served as an American diplomat for thirty years in Washington, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. Over those three decades he spent fifteen years in the kingdom working at the Embassy in Riyadh as well as the Consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. His assignments in Saudi Arabia included the Chief of Mission, Charge d'Affaires, Deputy Chief of Mission, Political Counselor, Economic Counselor, Commercial Counselor and Commercial Attaché. He has won numerous awards for his analytical reporting, and participated in Operation Desert Storm, Saudi accession to the World Trade Organization and the defeat of the al-Qaeda terror campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Sheds new light on King Salman and the rise of the Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part I: HISTORIC LEGITIMACY
Chapter 1: The House of Saud
Chapter 2: The Wars of Unification
Chapter 3: The Ikhwan Revolt

Part II: MANAGING SUCCESSION
Chapter 4: Kings Saud and Faisal
Chapter 5: Kings Khalid, Fahd, and Abdullah
Chapter 6: King Salman and MBS

Part III: BALANCING STAKEHOLDERS
Chapter 7: The Tribes
Chapter 8: The Clergy
Chapter 9: The Merchants
Chapter 10: The Technocrats
Chapter 11: The Royal Family

Part IV PROVIDING COMPETENT GOVERNMENT
Chapter 12: Providing Internal Security
Chapter 13: Promoting Rapid Economic Development
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy: Keeping Powerful Friends
Chapter 15: Foreign Policy: Deploying Oil and Islam
Chapter 16:Promoting Gradual Social Change

Part V ADAPTING TO CHANGE
Chapter 17: Economic Challenges: Oil Prices, Diversification and Jobs
Chapter 18: Security Challenges: Deploying Oil, Allies and Islam
Chapter 19: Political Challenges: Pluralism, Corruption, and Participation
Chapter 20: Evolving Arabia