Saudi Arabia
- Author David Commins
- Narrator Jonathan Todd Ross
- Publisher Tantor Media, Inc
- Publish Date 19 August 2025
- Run Time 11 hours and 44 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Ethnic studies, Middle Eastern history, Politics and government.
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What to expect
Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage and the site of Islam's two holiest cities. It is also one of the world's only absolute monarchies. How did Saudi Arabia get to where it is today?
In this comprehensive account, David Commins narrates the full history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy. Moving through the ages, Commins traces how the Saud dynasty's reliance on sectarianism, foreign expertise, and petroleum to stabilize power has unintentionally spawned secular and religious movements seeking accountability and justice. He incorporates the experiences of activists, women, religious minorities, Bedouin, and expatriate workers as the country transformed from subsistence agrarian life to urban consumer society.
This is a perceptive portrait of Saudi Arabia's complex and evolving story—and a country that is all too easily misunderstood.
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