Jones uses quotes by famous Western writers to introduce his
chapters, people such as T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia),
Wilfrid Thesiger, and Gertrude Bell. The quotes function as
points of reference and distinction, historical markers of
sorts, laying bare past prejudices. He notes, after a Lawrence
quote, what "a profound unease" the modern reader should
experience from some of their writing, especially their "casual
assessment of the racial characteristics of another people." He
is looking through very different eyes, of course, but in
examining how others before him viewed and treated this
particular Other, he gives us a bit more perspective on the
inevitable rise of opposition and hatred. "All these observers,"
he writes, "with their impressions of Arabia, sliced and diced."
Over the course of almost 25 years Jones observes remarkable
changes in Saudi Arabia. He witnesses the profound and rapid
transformation of Riyadh, initially a small frontier town with
only a couple of traffic lights, into a bustl