Sleeping with the Devil

How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude

By: Robert Baer

Narrated by: Robert O'Keefe

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

SHOULD BE MANDATORY READING FOR EVERYONE

This book hits the nail on the head and is a wake up call to us all of the dangers looming in the sands of Arabia. Dangers, which if not checked, will certainly overshadow the horror of 9/11. Americans will certainly not be hapopy to learn of the cozy relationship of their leaders with the Saudis, bankers for world terror, and how US national interest continues to take second place to the individual greed of American leaders as well as those of their Saudi bedfellows. But I fear that Americans will do nothing until it is too late. An all too often symptom in the American people.

An Informative Read

This book was chock-full of fascinating facts and linkages between the US Government, the Saudi royals and the confusing web of Mid-East governments and Islamic extremist terror organizations that the American public is only just beginning to become familiar with in the aftermath of 9/11.
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.

Eye Opener

This book is just another confirmation that the politicians here in our country really don't care about the American People, only the money that foreign facists can provide.It makes you want to tear up your voter registration card and boycott the electoral farce.

biased, but still good

Would you try another book from Robert Baer and/or Robert O'Keefe?

yes, the conclusions and narrative are decent

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

none

Which scene was your favorite?

not applicable

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no

Any 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.

Disappointing

I have the utmost respect for Robert Baer as a person and loved "See No Evil" recommended it to many because the book was not only illuminating but you could feel his passion and patriotism unfolding as the book progressed. This book had none of that. I hope he has not become bitter or he needs a paycheck. He is better than that.

excellent book - opened my eyes!

excellent book - opened my eyes!

A distraction...

This book might appear informative to those who are big on current events and small on history but to understand middle eastern politics, including the emergence of Al-Qaida, you have to know the underlying factors (i.e. history). The author is right that Saudi Arabia has problems but to say that it's evil and that it has created Al-Qaida is just pure ignorance and is only distracting us from the root cause. O' Jerusalam is worthwhile reading for those who would like an unbiased and educated understanding of what the problem is - only then can we tackle it. This book isn't worth 50 cents.