Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Book, But Needs References
Review: Robert Baer's book is very good. The basic premise, that the Saudi Government is supporting global Islamic terrorist activities in order to divert the attention of fundamentalist groups from its own corruption, is supported by a number of other books and articles on the subject. However, Baer fails to cite a single reference backing up any of his statements. I would have been very skeptical of his book if I hadn't read similar, supported, accounts in the past. A writer with Baer's credentials, a former CIA operative who should be fully credible, deflates his arguments by not citing a single reference. Perhaps much of the reference material is classified, but certainly enough evidence exists in the public press for him to have cited numerous sources.This is a worthwhile read, but it will require further homework by the reader in order to provide the missing links.
Rating: 
Summary: Not accurate as a history book, but still a great read.
Review: Robert Baer, an ex-operative of the CIA with an experience spanning over 21 years mostly in the Middle East, writes this book to expose the true nature of the US-Saudi relations, its driving forces, its effects, and how terrorism cultivated in the Middle East as a result of this relation. Mr. Baer begins the book with an interesting story about his encounter with a Russian arms dealer who revealed how easy it was to deliver any kind and any amount of weaponry into the Saudi Kingdom and the fact that it has been happening for a while. This, at the time of its occurrence, came as a surprise since the CIA (and the whole world really) thought of Saudis as no more than "young, oil-rich brats screaming at their Filipino servants to take the wrappers off their candy." And although this stereotypic perception isn't far from the truth for a considerable segment of the Saudi society, the fact that "the kingdom has a reservoir of young men who won't flinch when faced with death" shouldn't have eluded the CIA, Mr. Baer argues. But it did, and this book is an attempt to explain why and how it did just that. Baer provides an elaborate description of the importance of oil to the world economy, and to the US especially. One can hardly exaggerate that importance. And once he explains how vulnerable the oil infrastructure in Saudi is to any foreign or terrorist attack you understand why protecting and empowering a friendly government in that region was essential to the US government. But instead of having the upper hand in this relationship, Baer says, the US ended up being bullied around by the Saudi royals for a very simple reason. The days of US officials in the office are short and they know it, but so does the Saudi royals. Thus, the Saudi government devised a very inconspicuous albeit generous 401(k) plan for US politicians. Baer provides almost-unbelievable details of numerous retired US politicians on the Saudi payroll either through serving as members on advisory boards or by occupying seats at various institutions financed by Saudi contributions. The word is out in Washington that the Saudis take good care of their friends. Baer tells legend-like stories of corrupted Saudi princes and the dysfunctional government they run not only with the consent of the Americans, but with their support. However, the Americans didn't support the Saudi royals only, they also supported the terrorists who attacked the US themselves. This happened during the Russian-Afghani war where the Saudis provided vast funds and manpower to the Afghanis to repel the Russian intervention. The US government didn't even bother to monitor how this support was channeled or what causes did it sponsor. They blindly fed the monster that turned around and bit their hand. Then, the author takes you on a long and exciting tour throughout the history of it all. From the first US diplomat who met the new king who has just united a vast land under the rule of Saudi, passing through the first signing of an oil contract, all the way to the days preceding 9/11. Subsequently, the author takes you on another history tour that goes all the way back to the infantile stages of terrorism in the Middle East. Baer says that the CIA should've made militant Islam the center of its attention since the Muslim Brotherhood group killed the Egyptian president Anwar Al-Sadaat. It didn't. After that, Baer explains how the Saudi government manipulated the US policies in the region by seducing politicians with humungous defense and aviation contracts that made politicians drool. And finally, he concludes the book by explaining how the CIA decided to ignore all the flags that he along with other few operatives raised trying to bring the danger of militant Islam into the spotlight. He ends the book by giving a very brief personal opinion of what should be done to remedy the ailing situation in Saudi Arabia and to protect it from imploding and thus bringing the war on terrorism into an unknown battleground. This is a very interesting book, but the reader shouldn't proceed without caution. The genuinely interesting parts are those that involve the personal encounters and missions of the author. Baer seems to be a very intelligent observer and communicator, and his stories are eye-openers to some aspects of the Middle East that are unimaginable. Nevertheless, the reader should be very skeptical about what to take beyond that, as the author almost never cites any sources for his information. Normally I wouldn't expect an ex-agent to reveal his sources, but I was surprised to realize that Baer wasn't so keen on fact checking. I am able to say so as I ran into very wrong figures and facts about the Saudi government finances that any little fact checking effort would've pointed out. Most of the stories he extends are mostly stories either heard on the street or stuff he learned of from acquaintances. Such sources usually disfigure facts, if not totally make them up. Some of the stories sound more like weak plots for low-budget movies rather than real life incidents, such as the Million Dollars briefcase "accidentally" left behind by Khashoggi, a Saudi Billionaire, after meeting with Richard Nixon. One positive characteristic of this book that I enjoyed is its almost absolute nonpartisanship. No blame was placed on a single party as both fell prey to the seduction of oil wealth. This nonpartisan stand by the author gives the book a lot of credibility. In conclusion, this is definitely a book that is hard to put down once you start reading it. You could run into chapters that might not interest you such as the details of retired politicians on Saudi payroll, or stories about Syrian Alawite clan. And although this is not a history book, yet it is more like sitting down and chatting with an ex-agent of the CIA who knows a lot. Very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Roger Roal
Review: There are A LOT of books on the subject. If you are doing serious research, you'll notice, footnotes are lacking. Mr Baer served his country well, but those of us in the business know he, like a lot of authors in the growing terrorism industry, never served full time in an Arab country. I would not go so far as to say "blowhard," but this book could have been written by any decent to marginal internet surfer or library regular. Thomas Friedman, Judith Miller, Bernard Lewis, and Ambassador Dore Gold, among others, have already written volumes on this subject.
Rating:
Summary: Exaggeration
Review: First, I have to say that this is a real page turner that was nearly impossible to put down. However, as an American that has spent 8 years living in Saudi Arabia, I question the authors credibility. He has never set foot in Saudi Arabia and exaggerated certain details of Saudi life. It leads me to wonder what other statements in his book might be exaggerated. While the foundation of what he has to say may be solid, it's tough to take the facts and circumstances that he builds on top of that foundation at face value. It appears to be an example of an author embelishing the truth to sell a book and line his pocket.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book that Puts the Puzzle Together
Review: Sleeping with the Devil is a must read if you wish to understand
the nature of Saudi-US relations in the recent past, the present and into future. Baer presents a very scary picture as to how fragile the US and world economy is, and how fragile the US political system has become. I guess I didn't realized how important and how corrupt one (very big) family is to the world economy. Nor had I realized how deeply entrenched they had become in the US political system. More I cannot say. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is shocking, shocking and true. A slap-in-the-face wake up call for all who care to listen. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, gimmicky style
Review: I had high hopes for this book, as the subject material is quite interesting and obviously relevant.
However, Mr. Baer and his editors have not invested the effort to dig deeply in substantiating his arguments. Mr. Baer's greatest condemnations seem to be that many ex-politicians have Saudi clients. But he fails to quantify this - for example, are the clients large clients or just one of many clients (I am sure that Microsoft, for example, has Saudi Arabian users of its software, but that doesn't mean they are beholden to them as a group).
I also think Mr. Baer unecessarily uses his gimmick of striking certain classified information just for effect. For example, when speaking about how the cost of living has changed in DC, he states that "When I joined the CIA in [ ]...". There's no benefit to the reader in suggesting a date but not providing one. It would have been better to leave out the "in [ ]" or, better yet, to skip the fact that it was the year he joined the agency and just say "Back in 1984" or whatever. The only reason he seems to use this is to reinforce the fact that he was a spook and has "insider" knowledge.
Despite my feelings about his writing style and some of the broad-reaching statements, this book does make some powerful arguments about the impact of the US-Saudi relationship and what it might portend for the future.
If he could have borrowed Al Franken's fact checkers and a stronger editor, this book could have been 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Washington Insiders Should be Slapped With this Book!
Review: I first read Baer's critique of the US-Saudi relationship in excerpts from this book in an Atlantic Monthly cover-story. The book itself fleshes out his findings. A simple summary is: our relationship with the current monarchy will eventually lead to disaster. Reading this book you'll know why. His premise is that not only are we alienating a large portion of the Middle East by supporting a despotic kleptocracy, but by allowing the Saudis to act as they wish without consequences we are hampering our own interests in the war on terror. His suggestion that the Kingdom's oil reserves could be shut off for months at a time through a relatively unsophisticated attack should scare more than those who drive SUVs. If Baer is right such attacks could throw the entire world economy into a depression, as Saudi Arabia is not only the world's largest producer but also the only one able to make the market with its reserves. The book does suffer from several negatives, which keep me from giving it a higher rating. First, the conversational (and at times pedestrian posturing) tone of the book detracts from its seriousness. In this way it reads more like a low-brow Tom Clancy novel, a Mack Bolan dime-store thriller, or something of Richard Marcinko's ilk. Also, as others have mentioned large parts of the book have apparently been censored. This is frustrating, as no attempt was made to rewrite the book to preserve the flow of the text. At a minimum this should be explained in the jacket, so that we realize this is due to official censorship and not done in a stunt to add "realism" to the author's claims.
Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opener
Review: The author, a former CIA opperative, offers the reader a powerful and provactive view into the inner workings of one of America's closest allies. His exposure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a despotic theocratic state, mired in the middle ages and roiling with anti-american terrorist furror, serves all Americans as a wake up call. While much of the American power elite want us to ignore the fact that most of the 9/11 hijackers and Bin Laden are Saudi, Baer persuasively explains how these terrorists, far from being aberations, are the logical result of the Anti-Western, anti-secular, anti-christian Saudi system maintained and sponsored by the House of Saud. Indeed, were it not for Saudi funding, Bin Laden would be a no one. Instead, American petro-dollars fill his purse. Baer gives the only conclusion possible, America must rid itself of its crude oil addiction or continue to risk its economic security and its soul proping up this tyranical regime. Every American citizen needs to read this book as a wake up call.
Rating:
Summary: Shows the true enemy...
Review: This book shows us that Saudi Arabia may be our true enemy in the Muslim world. The Saudi government for years has taken our crude oil dollars and used them to fund Islamic extremists in an attempt to keep themselves in power. To that end, the author illustrates that Saudi money greases the gears of power in Washington, and that Saudis enjoy great access to the highest reaches of the US government. Unfortunately for the future, the author shows why it is likely that we will eventually have a massive showdown with that government and the dissenters that they have supported. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: I found the CIA blank out's in the book very chilling.
A must read!
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