The Saudi File: People, Power and Politics

Saudi Arabia remains a closed society with its own interpretation of Islamic Law, an insistence on royal privilege, and an uneven record on human rights. The Saudi File represents a unique documentary insight into this hidden kingdom. Anders Jerichow has assembled a comprehensive collection of primary source documents on the elements of state power in the country, ranging from laws, royal decrees and extracts from speeches, to opposition comment, international reports and other previously unpublished confidential material from the state department and CIA among others.

Topics covered range from calls for accountability, religious reform, the legal system, censorship, torture, labour conditions, gender and the Gulf war. The Massari affair is fully discussed along with the responses of the Saudi regime and implications for the future. The Saudi File will provide scholars with a comprehensive resource on the modern Saudi state and the issues facing those in power. It will also provoke debate on the wider issues of state power, personal freedom, and human rights throughout the region.