Nothing is easier than to denounce the evil-doer. Nothing is more difficult than to understand him (Fyodor Dostoevsky – The Possessed)
Robert Lacey chose this famous Dostoevsky phrase to open his new book ‘Inside the Kingdom’ for the reason that he wanted to have an understanding of the traumatic events of 9/11 and the country that provided the majority (15) of the in total nineteen hijackers on the airplanes that were involved in this tragedy. To learn more about the Saudi Royal Family, check out this 2015 documentary though things have changed slightly since crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) now rules the Kingdom:
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia never really was the place to be a favorite in the western hemisphere, and to be honest, how could you appreciate a nation that charges $70 or even more for something that is costing them below $10 to produce – and next brings you terrorists at the same time?
But Lacey wished to go further than. He wanted to figure out how the tradition and religious beliefs of a civilization could turn so completely wrong as to generate this kind of toxic extreme intolerance and hate.