In 1979 Robert Lacey was face to face with the Saudi Arabian king, showing him a photo album he had made with never before seen pictures of the royal family. Lacey has now returned to the Middle East and spent the last three years in Saudi Arabia in order to reveal the mysteries of this powerful kingdom.
The bestselling author provided these types of insights when he spoke at Fairfield University on October 23rd, where he was promoting his new book, “Inside the Kingdom.” As a British historian, Lacey extensively discussed the historical background of Saudi Arabia and focused on why the country has such a significant role in international relations. Renee White, a sociology professor and director of Black Studies, appreciated this part of the presentation saying, “It is always important to learn the relationships and historical perspectives among different countries in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has power and oil, so the connection between politics, money and religion has an influential impact within not only the country, but the world.”
When 9/11 occurred, Lacey told the audience he was inspired to get back into Saudi culture because 15 of 19 hijackers were Saudi. In the book, Lacey attempts to explain why this was the case based on the history between America and the Middle East during the 1970’s-1980’s. Lacey demonstrated his first-hand knowledge on the subject because he was in Saudi Arabia during these times. Senior International Studies major Nazar Kamenchenko was most impressed by this. “He was certainly an interesting speaker because we have few chances to hear from journalists at Fairfield who have been in the Middle East. Lacey was there twice in the 1970’s and during these times there was a lot going on. He also showed it is important to understand the culture there, especially economically and the way they are diversifying,” he said.
Lacey shared many thought provoking anecdotes, showing us that he isn’t afraid to pull back the curtain on a kingdom that has its share of secrets. In 1979, Lacey moved with his family to Saudi Arabia to research The Kingdom, his first study of the country’s complex and somewhat paradoxical culture. Because of his penetrating study on the House of Saud, his book was banned in Saudi Arabia for religious and cultural reasons.
Nevertheless, Lacey shows no hesitation when conversing about a country that exerts power and wields a great deal of international influence. Lacey has attempted to display how the consequences of the 1970’s oil boom produced a society at war with itself, “All the oil and all the money that came from the 1970’s did not create progress, but fear and uncertainty,” he said. Lacey provided the Fairfield community with a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people trying to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing world.
Leave a Reply