Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman – de facto ruler of one of the wealthiest states in the Middle East – has positioned himself as a transformative leader. His rule is defined by economic and social change, a close relationship with President Trump, and concerns about human rights abuses and power consolidation.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II leads one of the region’s most economically challenged countries with a steady hand and traditional approach. His rule is characterized by alliance building and cautious political reform, while also stifling political opposition.
Join us on WorldNow with Jim Falk for an inside look at two very different yet consequential leaders who are shaping the future of the Middle East – and redefining what it means to be king in the 21st century. With Pulitzer Prize-Winner Karen Elliot House, author of The Man Who Would be King: Mohammad Bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia and Aaron Magid, author of The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan.
Meet the Authors
Karen Elliott House is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist with nearly five decades of experience covering Saudi Arabia. She is also a former executive of Dow Jones & Company and former chair of the Rand Corp. Her deep expertise informs her latest book, The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia, which draws on more than half a dozen in-depth interviews with the Crown Prince himself. House spent over 30 years at The Wall Street Journal, serving as a reporter, editor, and ultimately publisher. She resides in Princeton, New Jersey.
Aaron Magid is a former Amman-based journalist and the author of the recently published The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan. His analysis on the Hashemite Kingdom has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, the Atlantic Council, France 24, Al-Jazeera, and the Middle East Institute. He hosts the podcast On Jordan. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.
Meet the Host
Jim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe, NM, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Santa Fe. In addition to hosting WorldNow with Jim Falk, Jim produces and hosts The Forum, a weekly talk show on KSFR-FM, Santa Fe Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
About the Books
The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed Bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia by Karen Elliot House
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former Wall Street Journal publisher, Karen House has gained unprecedented insights into Saudi Arabia and its controversial leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman through her more than forty years of experience covering the Arab kingdom.
House reveals a leader who, like Peter the Great, is a reformer determined to modernize his kingdom but also an autocrat who jails political opponents and rival princes to assure his grip on power. Drawing on extensive interviews with the Crown Prince, his royal relatives, and his inner ring of advisors, The Man Who Would Be King explains in full what shaped the man who is reshaping Saudi Arabia. It is an unprecedented and much needed in-depth portrait of the leader who, at only thirty-nine, will be a major player on the world stage for the next half century.
Get a copy of The Man Who Would Be King on Bookshop.org to support your local bookstore.
The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan by Aaron Magid
The first comprehensive biography on Jordan’s King Abdullah, The Most American King details Abdullah’s rise to power, survival amid protests from Jordanians, and his efforts to cement an alliance with Washington.
Aaron Magid, a former Amman-based journalist, charts Abdullah’s path to power from a Massachusetts prep school to a British military academy to the throne, and reveals how Abdullah has remained in power for over a quarter century. While leaders nearby were ousted during the 2011 Arab Spring protests, Abdullah survived the wave of discontent. Drawing on interviews with over 100 of King Abdullah’s classmates, former Jordanian ministers, and CIA directors, The Most American King offers a thorough account of this key Arab leader.
Get a copy of The Most American King.