King Abdullah and the Saudi Arabian National Guard
Tribes and Networks in Modern Saudi Arabia
$142.80
- Hardcover
406 pages
- Release Date
27 October 2026
Summary
Abdullah bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (1924–2015) was an unlikely contender for the Saudi throne. His kinship ties within the royal family were weak. Yet he rose to power, finally becoming king in 2005. His main instrument was the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), which he took over in 1963, transforming it into a personal power base and a cornerstone of regime security. This book offers the first comprehensive history of SANG, using Abdullah’s little-studied trajectory to illuminate how power functi…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781503630918 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1503630919 |
| Author: | Joshua Teitelbaum |
| Publisher: | Stanford University Press |
| Imprint: | Stanford University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 406 |
| Release Date: | 27 October 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
Critics Review
“A wild roller coaster ride through the Saudi kingdom in the 1960s and ‘70s, there is simply no account to rival Joshua Teitelbaum’s history of the politics and economics behind the founding of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Tracing the machinations of competing firms, spies, consultants, and princes in the arming of the kingdom, this book combines a scholar’s care with a journalist’s flare to reveal the struggles within the House of Saud.“—Robert Vitalis, University of Pennsylvania
“A landmark study of rare depth and originality. Joshua Teitelbaum combines a masterful command of his research with penetrating analysis. This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the hidden networks and enduring forces that have shaped and continue to shape Saudi politics.“—Clive Jones, Durham University
“Written with eloquence and clarity, this is the seminal study of the emergence and evolution of one of Saudi Arabia’s most important institutions. You cannot understand contemporary Saudi Arabia without reading this book.“—Michael McFaul, Former United States Ambassador to Russia, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University
Joshua Teitelbaum
Joshua Teitelbaum is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar-Ilan University and author of The Rise and Fall of the Hashimite Kingdom of the Hijaz.
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