The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan (Paperback)

Paperback. A riveting portrait of one of the most enigmatic yet influential powerbrokers in America, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States from 1983-2005. As the illegitimate son of a Saudi prince and a servant girl, Prince Bandar overcame his unrecognized beginnings to rise as one of Saudi Arabia's brightest diplomatic stars, ultimately becoming the Ambassador to the United States and one of the most influential men in Washington. As Ambassador, Prince Bandar worked with CIA Director Bill Casey to fund covert CIA operations with Saudi petrodollars. He played a key role in the Iran-Contra affair; consulted with President Gorbachev to secure Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan; negotiated an end to the Iran-Iraq war; and with Nelson Mandela, resolved the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Affair. He served under four different American presidencies and was called "Washington's indispensable operator" by the New Yorker. In this biography, RAF college friend and fellow pilot William Simpson pulls back the curtain for the first time on his fascinating life. With a preface by Nelson Mandela and a foreword by Margaret Thatcher, this biography of Prince Bandar is sure to become the definitive work on the engimatic Prince behind the White House. 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. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…