Susanne Koelbl - Behind the Kingdoms Veil

Praise for
Behind the Kingdoms Veil

To be at the cusp of societal change in the midst of conflict and tension is a rare but dangerous privilege. To watch from a ringside seat as an entire society somersaults from extremism to relative moderation is not often easy or permissible.

Susanne Koelbl, a well-known foreign correspondent for DER SPIEGEL , has been at such cusps of change beforein Afghanistan, Iran, and Africabut never before has she tackled as difficult a subject of change as she faces in Saudi Arabia, a society moving from obscurantist tribalism to modernity.

Koelbl has written a marvelous book on the recent developments in Saudi Arabia, a book full of analysis, anecdotes, and tension generated by geopolitical changes in the Arabian Gulf. Because Koelbl lived in Saudi Arabia for some time, she has unique access to Saudi officials, princes, shopkeepers, and ordinary women and men struggling with jobs, school, and bringing up children.

This is not a book of anecdotes and parachute journalism. It is not the result of a few quick visits. Instead, it is built of the insights of someone who has lived in the country and has gotten to know the people. A piercingly powerful book, Behind the Kingdoms Veil gives us insight not just into Saudi Arabia, but into how their ongoing experiment could help other Muslim societies change and move forward toward modernity.

Ahmed Rashid , bestselling author of Taliban and
Descent into Chaos

In Behind the Kingdoms Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , Susanne Koelbl offers very revealing insights into the complex, opaque, and fast-changing society that is Saudi Arabia today. She does this through personal encounters with a wide array of Saudis from different walks of life. This book is an excellent introduction to the kingdom.

Dr. Bernard Haykel , professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and director of the Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East

A fascinating account of the significant changes underway in Saudi Arabia, based on years of excellent reporting on the ground in the kingdom. The complicated role of the ruthless crown prince who is driving the often-drastic changes is exposed. A brilliant contribution to our understanding of the transformation happening in Saudi Arabia, especially among women.

Bruce Riedel, former CIA official, Middle East advisor to four US presidents, director of the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institution and author of Kings and Presidents:
Saudi Arabia and the United States since FDR

Koelbl offers a fascinating array of acutely well-observed glimpses into whats changing inside the kingdomand what isnt. Behind the engaging style and lively scenes lie serious questions that challenge assumptions about where the kingdom is heading. If you want to peek into the kingdom, reading this captivating selection of firsthand snapshots feels like watching a movie, only more informative.

Dr. Elisabeth Kendall , senior research fellow in Arabic & Islamic Studies, Pembroke College, University of Oxford

For nearly a century, Saudi Arabia has played a critical role in ensuring global economic stability and promoting regional security. Yet it remains an enigma to the vast majority of Westerners. In Behind the Kingdoms Veil , Susanne Koelbl provides an invaluable street-level perspective on the kingdoms rulers and its people, the challenges they face today economically, politically, and socially, and the reforms they need to take tomorrow to prepare their country for the demands of the twenty-first century. There can be no doubt, in reading Koelbls book, that the success or failure of that transition will affect the security and prosperity of all of us.

Gerald Feierstein , ambassador to Yemen under the Obama administration

Koelbls book is an eye-opener. If you want to understand why Saudi Arabia is a key player in all of the conflicts of the region it is essential to understand the inner workings of this country. Behind the Kingdoms Veil offers fascinating and often personal insights into everyday life of Saudi society. The kingdoms population has grown, oil prices have sharply declined, money is tight. The young ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman races from religious tradition into modernity with the help of authoritarian reforms. He eliminated his opponents among the large royal family, deprived the religious police of its power and appeals to the young generation by opening society to a modern way of life. What is it like to live there? As a woman, as a devout Arab, as guest worker or rebel? Koelbl explains it all and takes the reader along on this most unusual journey through this unprecedented part of the kingdoms history.

Tim Guldiman , advisor to the Geneva-based Conflict Mediation Foundation HD, former Swiss ambassador to Iran, former member of the Swiss Parliament

Behind the
Kingdoms Veil

Inside the New
Saudi Arabia under
Crown Prince
Mohammed Bin Salman

Susanne Koelbl

Coral Gables

Copyright 2019 by Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA) a division of Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, Mnchen, Germany
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Liz Hong
Bottom photo on cover credit: Susanne Koelbl
Layout & Design: Jermaine Lau

Photo credits (unless otherwise noted): by the author, Susanne Koelbl

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Behind the Kingdoms Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

Translated from German by Maurice Frank
Original title: Zwlf Wochen in Riad.
Saudi-Arabien zwischen Diktatur und Aufbruch by Susanne Koelbl

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2020933476

ISBN: (p) 978-1-64250-344-9 (e) 978-1-64250-345-6

BISAC category code: HIS026010, HISTORY / Middle East / Arabian Peninsula

Printed in the United States of America

To Eman, Fahd, Nora, Tarek, and Abdullah

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Salafists: How My Landlord Tries to
Save Me from Satan

In the North: With the Proud Shammar, Where
Men Can Still Be Men

As a foreign correspondent, I have written about the wars of our time for more than fifteen years, from the Balkans to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.

In 2011 I started to travel to the kingdom and report about Saudi Arabia. In 2018 I had the opportunity to live in Riyadh as a foreign correspondent for the German magazine DER SPIEGEL .

Its a journalists dream to pierce this closed world of sheikhs, religious zealots, and hidden powers. I wanted to get closer to the people and experience the dizzying social transformation the kingdom was going through. Living in a small apartment as a Western woman among Saudis, I enjoyed unprecedented access. Behind the kingdoms veil I encountered many intelligent minds with unique perspectives on both their own society and the West.