
Sleeping with the Devil
How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
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Narrated by:
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Robert O'Keefe
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By:
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Robert Baer
About this listen
Former CIA operative Robert Baer examines the dangers behind America's collaboration with Saudi Arabia.
Nominally based on a "harmony of interests" - the Saudis sold their oil to the American government very inexpensively - what we offered in exchange has damaged our position in the Middle East and left our country vulnerable to economic and terrorist threats.
Baer goes behind the scenes to show how the US willingly overlooked the corruption of the Saudi royal family, its financing of violent Islamic fundamentalist groups that spread hatred of the West throughout Saudi society, and its bribery of American officials. From a close-up with a corrupt Arab family to the inside scoop on how we helped fund the Taliban, Baer shows what's at stake in our pursuit of oil.
PLEASE NOTE: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version is also available.
©2003 Robert Baer (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a dividion of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Editorial reviews
The United States' addiction to oil has meant that the country has to remain good friends with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - regardless of how the Arabs behave. The Kingdom has been proved to be bankrolling terrorist organisations, distributing enormous amounts to an indolent extended royal family so that they can enjoy a lavish lifestyle, buying up western industry, and of course, maintaining numerous Swiss bank accounts. So explains ex-CIA operative Robert Baer in his latest work, Sleeping With The Devil.
Saudi Arabia is sitting on the world's largest reserve of crude oil, and that oil is much easier to extract in that country than anywhere else in the world. The Petrodollars pouring into the economy has seen massive investment in infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and of course - mosques. Yet in these holy places, the populace is exhorted to hate the United States, the western world, and non-Muslims. Some of the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 atrocity were from Saudi Arabia. But the United States, says Mr. Baer, desperately dependent on the flow of gasoline, still bows and scrapes...
Robert O'Keefe provides the narration, which totals just over six hours. This was another book that I listened to in one sitting, and thoroughly enjoyed. Mr. O'Keefe has a rich-voiced American accent, making for an easy listen despite, at times, being a difficult subject. The audio quality is superb, particularly at Audible Format 4, quite obviously a direct digital recording. This book is an interesting and enlightening way to spend six hours!
--Brad Jackson, UK
oh, what a tangled web we weave...
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In a word, wow!
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surprising
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a time, effort and money saver
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Ouch. The truth hurts.
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Never mentioned
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It appears that our country is run by the Sauds
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Baer includes a bit more emotional rhetoric and "conspiracy theory" than I am comfortable with in a non-fiction work, but he provides a solid primer on the tangled web of US/Saudi/Mid-East relations nevertheless.
An Informative Read
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Eye Opener
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Would you try another book from Robert Baer and/or Robert O'Keefe?
yes, the conclusions and narrative are decentWhat was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
noneWhich scene was your favorite?
not applicableIf this book were a movie would you go see it?
noAny additional comments?
Baer definitely has an axe to grind, and depicts facts and statistics in ways to favor his arguments, yet the overall narrative, and the conclusions are good enough that one can overlook his extreme bias.biased, but still good
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