Thread by @bradleyhope

More than 3 years ago, @ScheckWSJ & I began reporting on Saudi Arabia's bold economic changes under King Salman & his son Mohammed bin Salman. Today is publication day for BLOOD AND OIL, our book about MBS's rise to power & the storm of activity during his first 5 years in power

MBS's ascent is important because all signs point to him becoming the king of Saudi Arabia at a young age, setting him up to be in power for decades. He is also pushing his country toward rapid, radical change with regards to social practices, religion, and the economy

He's unlike anyone in #Saudi history, a young, technology-obsessed, business-focused ruler with an obsessive work schedule and attention to detail. He's also shown himself to be thin-skinned, brutal with dissidents and ruthless with his own family.

It’s motivated by profound shifts in the Saudi population threatening his family’s rule. The al Saud have long gained legitimacy as rulers from their alliance with the conservative religious establishment. But MBS saw that would no longer work.

Now, most Saudis are under 30. They’re on #Twitter and #Instagram and #Facebook. They could see what young people elsewhere were doing -- and what they were missing out on in a country without real entrepreneurship, or concerts, or movie theaters or the ability to go on a date.

MBS saw the anger pulsing through the Arab spring and how his Saudi peers were frustrated by their ossified rulers -- a recipe for discontent. The last thing the al Saud want is a push for political change. So MBS gave people new freedoms, and cracked down harder on critics.

He also engaged with the global business community with such vigor that he single-handedly made #SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund possible. He convinced Masayoshi Son to invest in #Uber, possibly saving the company at a time of in-fighting and toxic culture issues.

In short: MBS became the world’s biggest venture-capital investor, inflating a tech bubble that saw #WeWork and dog-walking companies reach inexplicably high valuations.

Our book tells some of the secret battles underway as he rose w/ his father to power, including behind-the-scenes battles w/ corrupt courtiers and sons of the late King Abdullah. Those conflicts show that King Salman's rise, along with MBS, was anything but certain in late 2014.

At first, MBS was lauded by Western observers as a long-awaited reformer. As time went on, sentiment shifted and those same people began criticizing him as a brutal strongman leader in the vein of Saddam Hussein.

Both perspectives are oversimplifications. What we show is that MBS does whatever he feels necessary to preserve al Saud rule and build a legacy, be it welcoming Western entertainment, cracking down on members of his own family, engaging in war or kidnapping critics.

The ousting of his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, was an early harbinger of what was to come, as were the quiet abductions of princes such as Sultan bin Turki II (vanityfair.com/news/2020/08/h…) and the arrest of Loujain al Hathloul, a women's rights activist who criticized the government

The murder of Jamal #Khashoggi by Saudi agents was the pivotal moment when years of good press and praise from world leaders went up in flames. Jamal was a complex figure who even sought government funds to set up a pro-Saudi think tank after exiling himself in Washington, D.C.

But Jamal Khashoggi began transforming into a full-fledged dissident, working to counter MBS' master of dark arts Saud Qahtani on social media and even agreeing to help 9/11 victims with their lawsuits against the Saudi state. Qahtani's team eventually murdered him in Istanbul

Many thought MBS couldn't recover. He never wavered from his position that he didn't order the murder but was responsible for what happened on his watch. He's laid low and avoided traveling to Washington, D.C., and London.

What many haven't realized is he is so tied up in global finance as the world's biggest, new investor in technology and infrastructure, as well as in the agenda of the Trump administration, that he couldn't be unseated. Also, there were no longer any rivals waiting in the wings

Even with a Democratic victory in the presidential elections, MBS will be the single most important person in Middle East security and economic development. BLOOD AND OIL tells the backstory of his rise and his character, crucial information in ensuing years.

Here's the link to buy the book and read more: hachettebooks.com/titles/bradley…