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The King's Messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America's Tangled Relationship With Saudi Arabia
The story of the last thirty years in the complex relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia centers around its principle actor: Prince Bandar, the controversial longtime Saudi ambassador “Just how oil, arms, and Allah have served over time either to bind or sunder the United States–Saudi Arabia relationship is the focus of this book,” writes David Ottaway, who has chronicled the “special relationship” over the course of more than three decades at the Washington Post. No two governments and societies could be more different, and yet we have been bound together since 1945 by vital national security interests, based on a simple quid pro quo: Saudi oil at reasonable prices in return for U.S. protection of the House of Saud from all foreign foes. However, the balance points of the relationship—often tenuous even in peacetime—have been fractured by the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. invasion of Iraq: the price of oil has skyrocketed and Saudi Arabia has been powerless to stop its rise; the Iraq war has unleashed the prospect of a Shi’ite-dominated regime allied to Iran on Sunni Saudi Arabia’s borders; and militant elements within Saudi Arabia are ever more threatening. Not since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran has the House of Saud felt itself in such peril, and the Saudis have not forgotten the inability, or unwillingness, of the United States to save the Shah. Nobody has been more emblematic of the Saudi-U.S. relationship, nobody has been at its center for longer, than Prince Bandar, the first Saudi royal ever to serve as ambassador to Washington. David Ottaway’s frequent access to the prince has allowed him unparalleled insight into the complex geopolitics that govern and have governed Saudi Arabia’s long dance with the United States, and his book, coming at a crucial juncture, explores what new common ground may be found between the two countries, and what may ultimately pull them apart. .
Price: $10.00
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Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook
Enticing, exotic recipes fit for a Sultan's table - and your own discerning palates * Offers over 130 recipes, complete menu suggestions, and stunning full-colour photography throughout * Includes recipes for tangy egg-lemon soup, vegetable stuffed aubergines sauteed in fragrant olive oil, and richly stewed lamb on a bed of pllaf With an amazing array of recipes from exotic egg-lemon soup to stewed lamb, Turkish style, The Sultan's Kitchen offers over 130 tantalizing recipes, complete menu suggestions and wonderful photography. Both recipes and imagery will inspire any cook to create dishes fit for a sultan..
Price: $13.42
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The Koran for Dummies
With the current turmoil in the Middle East, there is a growing interest about Islam—the world’s second largest religion and one of the fastest growing—and its holy book, the Koran (or Qur’an). Now, with this easy-to-follow, plain-English guide, you can explore the history, structure, and basic tenets of Islam’s sacred scripture. The Koran For Dummies is for non-Muslims interested in the Koran as well as Muslims looking to deepen their understanding. Islamic scholar Sohaib Sultan provides a clear road map, revealing: - The meaning of Koran and its basic message
- The Koran’s place in history and in Islamic spiritual life
- Explanations of its language, structure, and narrative style
- How to live by the Koran’s teachings
- The Koran’s role in key global issues, such as Jihad vs. terrorism
- Different interpretations of the Koran
No other book provides such a straightforward look at what the Koran says, how it says it, and how believers live according to its guidance. From how the Koran was received by Mohammed and how it was compiled to how it’s interpreted by Islam’s two main branches, you’ll see how to put the Islamic faith in perspective. Plus, you’ll discover: - What the Koran really says about women and civil law
- How Islam relates to Judaism and Christianity
- The Koran’s view of God, prophets, mankind, and the self
- How its teachings are lived and recited every day by devout Muslims
- Common misconceptions of the Koran
- How to raise a family the Koranic way
Complete with lists of important passages, Koranic terminology, famous quotes, and further reading resources, The Koran For Dummies makes it easy and enjoyable for you to grasp the teachings and significance of Islam's holy book..
Price: $11.54
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The Book of Saladin: A Novel
Tariq Ali's latest novel is a rich and teeming chronicle set in twelfth-century Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem "The Book of Saladin" is the fictional memoir of Saladin, the Kurdish liberator of Jerusalem, as dictated to a Jewish scribe, Ibn Yakub. Saladin grants Ibn Yakub permission to talk to his wife and retainers so that he might present a full portrait in the Sultan's memoirs. A series of interconnected stories follows, tales brimming over with warmth, earthy humor and passions in which ideals clash with realities and dreams are confounded by desires. At the heart of the novel is an affecting love affair between the Sultan's favored wife, Jamila, and the beautiful Halina, a later addition to the harem. The novel charts the rise of Saladin as Sultan of Egypt and Syria and follows him as he prepares, in alliance with his Jewish and Christian subjects, to take Jerusalem back from the Crusaders. This is a medieval story, but much of it will be uncannily familiar to those who follow events in contemporary Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad. Betrayed hopes, disillusioned soldiers and unrealistic alliances form the backdrop to "The Book of Saladin." .
Price: $9.44
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Slavery: The African American Psychic Trauma
Are African Americans part of the "Lost Tribes" mentioned in the Bible? Discover the true 10,000 year history of Black people -- and why others tried to erase it! What happened to the doctors, writers, scientists, builders, educators and spiritual leaders from Africa's Golden Age? And who did they really capture and sell into slavery? Are all African Americans suffering from mental illness because of this conspiracy to hide the truth? Read Psychic Trauma, and take the test on page 22 of this book and find out!.
Price: $10.17
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Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali
When an evening celebration in his village is disrupted by the cries of slave raiders, young Kankan Musa runs to find his spear, but in a moment he is taken. Suddenly, the world he has known is gone. Is he to be a slave? Or will destiny carry this son of a proud people to a different future? Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon capture the grandeur of Africa's ancient empires, lands, and people in stunning paintings as this richly imagined tale of the boyhood of Mansa Musa, one of Mali's most celebrated kings, carries us across the continent on a triumphant journey of self-discovery. .
Price: $9.99
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So the Story Goes: Photographs by Tina Barney, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, and Larry Sultan (Art Institute of Chicago)
From early amateur snapshots to today’s advanced digital images, photography has been the perfect means to record people’s lives. This provocative book explores the complex and varied ways that five contemporary photographers––Tina Barney, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, and Larry Sultan––use their own daily experiences as inspiration for their art. Each of these artists has created highly personal, shifting, and intriguing visions of his or her life. The works range from Tina Barney’s orchestrated depictions of her friends and family in affluent New England settings to Nan Goldin’s unabashed portrayal of intimate, and often brutally honest, moments. Sally Mann turned to her children and their surroundings as her subject, and Larry Sultan has accomplished something similar in his depictions of his parents. Philip-Lorca diCorcia offers up his “storybook life” in photographs that—like others in this group—span nearly twenty years. So the Story Goes is arranged in portfolio format and features beautiful color reproductions of about twenty photographs by each artist. With an introductory essay that examines the development of personal narrative in photography, as well as insightful entries on each artist, the book analyzes how these works tell a life’s story. .
Price: $15.16
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The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan
For the last two and a half decades—through war, oil crises, and global terrorism—the United States and Saudi Arabia have had a very special relationship, thanks in no small part to one man: Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The illegitimate son of a Saudi prince and a servant girl, he used his vital behind-the-scenes influence to convince Gorbachev to withdraw the Soviet military from Afghanistan and helped President Reagan and CIA Director William Casey to win the Cold War with Saudi petrodollars. A Machiavellian manipulator, he negotiated an end to the Iran-Iraq war and played a key role in the Iran-Contra affair. George H. W. Bush took Bandar and his family fishing. Colin Powell would drop by to play racquetball. In this revealing biography, William Simpson pulls back the curtain on the fascinating and startling life of an extraordinary power-player who emerged as one of the driving forces behind American foreign policy throughout the 1980s and '90s. At a time when understanding our friends is as important as knowing our enemies, understanding Prince Bandar bin Sultan may well be the key to figuring out the Saudis. .
Price: $9.95
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