"Blood And Oil."
Pay attention to Saudi Arabia's "charismatic but ruthless" Mohammed bin Salman
Following the shocking announcement in June that the PGA Tour was ending it’s feud with LIV Golf and merging with the upstart league, I figured I needed to know more about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS.
LIV is financed by the Public Investment Fund which is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. MBS controls this fund.
I searched for a book about MBS and found on that looked interesting. “Blood And Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power” was published in 2020, before LIV Golf launched, but the seeds of this global power play were described in the book.
As the authors explain, MBS has big plans for his nation. He wants to steer the Saudi economy away from being solely dependent on the oil industry. He has also pushed through reforms such as allowing women to drive, and allowing public entertainment events such as a the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that was held in 2021. LIV Golf then, seems like a natural outgrowth of MBS’ plans to make Saudi Arabia an international player in things other than oil production.
The eye-popping sports news out of Saudi Arabia continues with the reported offer of $776M to superstar striker Kylian Mbappe to come pay for the Saudi soccer team Al-Hilal for one year. This comes on the heals of another Saudi league team, Al-Nassr, luring another huge soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, for the relatively paltry sum of $214 million annually over 2.5 years.
Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are two of the four teams recently acquired by the Public Investment Fund. The Public Investment Fund, with it’s estimated $700B in assets, provides astounding resources to MBS to carry out his domestic and global plans.
Soccer may not be as easily conquered as golf, but there’s no doubt Saudi Arabia is now highly influential in two of the world’s most popular sports.
However, as the book details, MBS isn’t a kind and gentle leader. He has cleared his path to the Saudi throne with ruthless efficiency. Brushing aside the numerous lazy, spoiled princes wasn’t much trouble, but others with claims to the throne were dealt with harshly. He also deals harshly with critics of his tactics, and was implicated in the brutal murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Blood and Oil” provides a detailed account of the events leading up to the murder, as well as the aftermath and fallout MBS faced around the world.
But, Saudi riches cover a multitude of sins and MBS appears to be back on top. At 37, it’s clear he will be on the international scene for a long time.
“Blood and Oil” provides a good overview of Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to prominence, his domestic and international plans for Saudi Arabia, and even a primer of how Saudi Royal politics works. I recommend this book without hesitation to anyone interested in the politics of the Middle East.