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Summary: amBushed
Review: Great read, amazing info. Some of it we know from the few newspapers that weren't asleep for the last two years, the rest we'll read about as the campaigns gear up. It's important information for everyone who wants to know how the US became so entangled in the Mideast, why, and most important, by whom.
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Summary: Saudi bashing at it's worst.
Review: Although I thought the book would be thought provoking at first, I quickly got the impression as I delved into the first few pages that that wasn't going to be the case. Unger uses the same recycled conspiracy theories and accusations against the Saudis that was prevalent immediately after the 9/11 attack. He accuses the Bush administration for not going hard enough on the Saudis because of his "close oil business relationship" with the royal family. If that were the case, why was Saudi Arabia denounced, smeared, and up until the present day described as a hotbed of al Qaeda militancy by his administration? Why did Rumsfeld, Perle, and Wolfowitz hold Saudi Arabia directly responsible for sponsoring terrorism when they provided funds (by holding a telethon) for Palestinian victims of Israeli atrocities in the occupied territories in early 2002?The fact of the matter is the President of the United States would be impeached by the heavily pro-Israeli Congress if half the conspiracies conjectured by the author has some factual basis; which they of course are not.
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Summary: good book
Review: this will tell you all you want to know , do not vote for bush.interesting read.
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Summary: The United States, Jihad, and Big Oil
Review: I suppose new revelations, both political and economic, come every day in the current post 9/11 environment. In this Election Year of 2004 it is refreshing to see a book come out revealing secret connections between the Bush Dynasty and the Saudi Family.Our profound dependence on oil supplies from this nation evidently set the stage for "special deals" as author Unger points out. Still, this is a capsule view of a much larger problem that exists throughout Islam - the rise of Fundamentalism. It is not a new phenomenon in Islamic history. Radicalism and the force of Jihad were a part of the fabric of Islamic politics for hundreds of years. It is only now at the start of the 21st century that America is now becoming aware of these forces as the result of 9/11 and terrorism. Saudi-Arabia, in particular is most vulnerable to the continuous stream of Fundamentalist rhetoric being echoed in its' major cities. An unemployment rate of 40% does not help any as bands of Saudi youth gather on the streets-jobless, hopeless and seething with hatred not only for the U.S. but for the Royal Family as well. Revolution and its' twin, Reform are in the air! Perhaps, Republican Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina phrased the problems of the Saudi-U.S. connection best: "Politicians had better ponder the economic calamity sure to occur in America if and when foreign producers ( Saudi-Arabia) shut off our oil supply..." I found Craig Unger's book: House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties a very eye-opening read. A very well-written and organized analysis of a special decades-long relationship. Murray S. Fradin, author of: JIHAD: The Mahdi Rebellion in the Sudan (2003)
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Summary: Fun and Learning!
Review: I only bought this book at the behest of a friend. She said that I must read, "House of Bush, House of Saud." I am politically moderate. I vote both ways. This book is an incredible read. I thought that I knew the Bush/HoS story pretty well. I expect that I did have far more knowledge than the greater portion of the U.S. populace prior to reading this book. It confirms in great detail what I already knew, and
adds tremendously to my knowledge of this sometimes sordid affair. If you read one political book this year, this should be the one. It is admittedly early in the year, but this is an important bit of U.S. - Saudi history. History that many commentators would like to wish away. Unger manages to turn what might otherwise be just a highly illuminating body of facts into a highly readable form. If you miss this, you're missing a great deal.
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Summary: The "Official Story" ends here
Review: A damaging critique and analysis, all duly notated, presents an unflattering image of the Bush Admin.
Why didn't the 'liberal media' tell us about this earlier? Oh, yea, what 'liberal media?'
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Summary: Amazing
Review: Definitely a must read for those who are clueless about the Saud/Bush connection. It makes current puzzing events clear. Like why did we let Osama Bin-Ladin relatives fly home free and clear when all other aircraft was grounded? Why didn't we follow Richard Clarke's (the nation's first counterterrorism czar of the NSC appointed by father Geo H.W. Bush) plan for forceful preventive confrontation of Al Queda? Why did we wait soo late in taking steps to mitigate the 9/11 disaster? This book answers those questions and reveals more of what every American needs to know about the new age of global terror.
One scary premise is that Americans in Iraq are not winning this war as we falsely asume, but are instead being encircled by hostile Islamic forces emanating from Iran in increasing numbers. Another scary part concerns the overpopulation of Saudi citizens and how their per capita income has dwindled. This pressure makes iffy the cointinued existence of the House of Saud! Islamic terrorists could topple the Saudi's and wind up controlling most oil reserves in the region. (40% of all known reserves ane in the region). How futile an American military presence would be in guarding these reserves when all it takes is a single match from a single terrorist to shut us down. It's a war that America even by throwing in its multi-Billions cannot possibly hope to win. Meanwhile most unaware, uninformed Americans sit in SUVs clogged in traffic in a haze of smoggy illusion and false self-assurance. This is a shocking read. Well-researched. Easy to understand in spite of all those comprehensive details and footnotes.
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Summary: Previous Reviewer
Review: The last reviewer is a shining example of those who will be voting for the BUSH cartel in November.
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Summary: it was about time
Review: Finally, the truth! Highly recommended for those who want to know a little more about terrorism and the Bush administration.
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Summary: An eye-opening examination of US/Saudi relations
Review: While this book was imporant reading after 9/11 for those interested in current events such as the war in Iraq, this book has in many ways become absolutely essential reading now that the situation in Saudi Arabia seems to be rapidly detoriating and the entire Middle East region threatens to plunge into complete chaos. For those with a black & white/ good & evil view of the Iraq War this book will serve as a wake up call as to the extremely complex, byzantine, and brutal politics of the Middle East. It seems as if everyone involved has at one time been allied or opposed to each other and hardly a government involved, including the U.S., doesn't have some incidents from the past that they would rather have not seen the light of day. The book begins by revisting the surreal evacuation of Saudi officals and citizens (the majority of them belonging to the bin Laden family) from the U.S. days after 9/11, when commerical and private air traffic were still officially grounded. Such a flight could only have been authorized at the highest levels of government and not only was this authorization given, but these Saudis were allowed to leave the U.S. without even being interrogated by the FBI or any other federal agency. According to author Craig Unger the above incident was not spectacular in anyway but proved quite representative of the relationship between the House of Saud (which includes Saudi ruler Crown Prince Abdul Aziz, Prince Ahmed bin Salem, Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz, the billionaire bin Laden family considered to be the most powerful family in Saudi Arabia behind the royal family, & U.S. ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan) and the House of Bush (which includes the Bushes, former secretary of state James Baker III, former secrtary of defense Frank Carrlucci, Cheney, Rumsfeld, & the private investment firm, The Caryle Group - to which all of the House of Bush currently or have once belonged). What Unger sets out to prove is that the mutually beneficial relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States, one primarily forged by members of the House of Saud & the House of Bush, has contributed to the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda , 9/11, and to much of the current war on terror. The main reason why this relationship has proven so destructive in recent years is because the Saudi Arabian government has allowed the fermentation of an extreme form of Islamic Fundamentalism called Wahhabism to occur within their borders. Wahhabism, which includes Osama bin Laden as a follower, is strongly anti-Western and wishes to the Middle East purged of all Western Influence. Not only has the Saudi Arabian government allowed this movement to grow within it's borders, but they in many ways depend upon it for their political survial. Instead of forcing the Saudi Arabian government to confront this problem, the House of Bush has instead pursued strong relations with Saudi Arabia primarily due to the region's vast oil reserves. Unger covers much territory in "House of Bush, House of Saud" ranging from the beginning of modern Saudi/U.S. relations in Houston via Bush sr. friend, businessman James Bath, the contradictory nature of Saudi elites who appear to have one foot in the West and the other in fundamentalist Muslim traditions, the co-operation of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. during the Afghanistan War, and Saudi Arabia's role in 9/11 and the ensuing war on terror. This book doesn't blame 9/11 on Bush or the House of Bush or even the House of Saud for that matter. 9/11 was the work of Al Qaeda, not the House of Bush or House of Saud but the actions or omission of action by these two powerful dynasties undoubtably make the work of Al Qaeda far easier... For those Americans who still believe Bush is a strong leader in regards to national security I urge you to read this book and ask yourself whether or not George Bush, in light of the many arguements of this books, has truly done all that he can to make both America and the world a safer place?
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