There are few individuals as unique, enigmatic, and colorful as Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud. This biography of the world's fifth-richest man -- worth around $24 billion -- tells the story of a businessman who started out with a relatively modest bank loan and built an empire that embraces the best-known brands, from Citigroup and Disney to Apple Computers and the Four Seasons Hotels. Alwaleed, as he's known to most in the Middle East, is the largest single foreign investor in the U.S. economy, with interests in almost everything that touches the American lifestyle. Like investment guru Warren Buffett, Alwaleed became hugely successful through consecutive strategic high-profile investments, earning him the respect of Wall Street. In this fascinating and uniquely insightful authorized biography, international journalist and broadcaster Riz Khan offers a revealing insider's view of this provocative business genius, focusing on issues including: his unique family history the origins of his powerful drive to succeed his phenomenal success in rescuing beleaguered companies such as America's giant Citigroup his investments in top brands including Four Seasons Hotels, Saks Fifth Avenue, and NewsCorp his unique approach to investing -- and some of his most lucrative strategies Beyond the billionaire, jet-set lifestyle, Prince Alwaleed has a close and emotional relationship with the desert and its people. His identity sits on the fence separating the Arab world on one side, with tents, camels, and rifle-toting Bedouins ... and the fast-paced, hungry, pinstripe world of Wall Street, with limousines and designer labels. Brilliant, charming, and extraordinarily hardworking, this billionaire's personal story unfolds in gripping detail, based on in-depth interviews with the Prince's family, entourage, and closest business associates -- including top names such as Sandy Weill, Rupert Murdoch, and Jimmy Carter. Alwaleed is a revealing portrait of an unusual individual whose presence in the global economy is unmatched; a twenty-first-century ambassador who could be the ultimate bridge to connect the Middle East and the West.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

The Sword of Allah: Khalid Bin Al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns Khalid bin Al-Waleed was one of the greatest generals in history, and one of the greatest heroes of history. Besides him, Genghis Khan was the only other general to remain undefeated in his entire military life. Khalid was sent to the Persian Empire with an army consisting of 18,000 volunteers to conquer the richest province of the Persian empire, Euphrates region of lower Mesopotamia, (present day Iraq). Khalid entered lower Mesopotamia with this force. He won quick victories in four consecutive battles: the Battle of Chains, fought in April 633; the Battle of River, fought in the third week of April 633; the Battle of Walaja, fought in May 633 (where he successfully used a double envelopment manoeuvre), and Battle of Ullais, fought in the mid-May 633. In the last week of May 633, al-Hira, the regional capital city of lower Mesopotamia, fell to Khalid. The inhabitants were given peace on the terms of annual payment of jizya (tribute) and agreed to provide intelligence for Muslims. After resting his armies, in June 633, Khalid laid siege to Anbar which despite fierce resistance fell in July 633 as a result of the siege imposed on the town. Khalid then moved towards the south, and captured Ein ul Tamr in the last week of July, 633.

Iranian politics has been marked by sharp ideological divisions and infighting. These divides, kept largely out of public view until the 1990s, came to greater light with the contested 2009 presidential elections. To explain the diverse and complex forces that led to this event and that animate Iran’s current fractured society and polity, author Shireen T. Hunter looks beyond the battle between the forces of reform and reaction, democracy and dictatorship, and considers the historic forces that created the conditions faced by Iran since the revolution. Iran Divided: The Historic Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the 21st Century explains historical and political factors and their relevance to Iran today, shedding light on the forces behind Iranian politics and society. This book discusses: historical roots of Iran’s current divisions and debates; Iran versus Islam; secularism versus religion; constitutionalism versus Islamic government; fundamental issues of identity, culture, and governance; aging of the revolutionary coalition; development of new elites; experiences of the Islamic republic; and new international conditions moving the country beyond old divides and ideological rifts toward a new national consensus. A comprehensive survey, the book will be an indispensable tool to any student seeking to understand the Islamic Republic of Iran and its standing in the world today.

An upcoming book to be published by Penguin Random House.

Since the early twentieth century, Muslim reformers have been campaigning for a total transformation of the ways in which Islam is imagined in the Malay world. One of the most influential is the author Haji Abdul Malik bin Abdul Karim Amrullah, commonly known as Hamka. In Hamka and Islam, Khairudin Aljunied employs the term "cosmopolitan reform" to describe Hamka's attempt to harmonize the many streams of Islamic and Western thought while posing solutions to the various challenges facing Muslims. Among the major themes Aljunied explores are reason and revelation, moderation and extremism, social justice, the state of women in society, and Sufism in the modern age, as well as the importance of history in reforming the minds of modern Muslims.Aljunied argues that Hamka demonstrated intellectual openness and inclusiveness toward a whole range of thoughts and philosophies to develop his own vocabulary of reform, attesting to Hamka's unique ability to function as a conduit for competing Islamic and secular groups. Hamka and Islam pushes the boundaries of the expanding literature on Muslim reformism and reformist thinkers by grounding its analysis within the Malay experience and by using the concept of cosmopolitan reform in a new context.

Khalid ibn Walid was also known as Sayf Allah al-Maslūl (Drawn Sword of God), a companion of the Prophet and noted for his military tactics and prowess. It was under his military leadership that Arabia, for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the Caliphate. His strategic achievements include the conquest of Arabia, Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria. He is also remembered for his decisive victories at Yamamah, Ullais and Firaz, and his tactical successes at Walaja and Yarmouk.

Transformations in the Arab media landscape are a key element in regional dynamics of political change. Where do private owners of Arab media outlets stand on the scene? What part, if any, have they played in weakening dictatorships, countering sectarianism and political polarisation, and reforming business practices in the Arab world? Arab Media Moguls charts the fortunes of some leading media investors and entrepreneurs from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia to examine their motives, management styles, financial performance and links to political power. The resulting profiles offer intriguing insights into the place of family, education, religion and media regulation in regional power structures. Globally, the rise of small digital media, increased competition law and the precedence of more digitally-savvy younger generations have fuelled doubts as to whether the archetypal 'media mogul' is a phenomenon with a future. How do such factors affect power plays in Arab media? Responding critically to existing Western scholarship and commentary on magnates in US and European media, this book explores how far existing assumptions and perceptions about powerful media owners' eccentricity, innovation and risk-taking apply in the Arab context and offers a range of alternative approaches to understanding the central position of certain individuals in the fast-changing Arab media business.

“Billionaires are a unique fraternity and bread of humans that have excelled in the workforce more productive and creative than the successful entrepreneur, where timing in business supersedes talent and determination, persistence and sheer guts have shadowed and outreached college degrees.” Currently, there are over 2300 billionaires on planet Earth and growing each and every year. These individuals think and act differently thus resulting in extreme capital collections along with owning about 30% of the sports teams and massive collections of art, sacred writings, and toys. The category of women Billionaires seems to be growing fast in the USA, China, and Hong Kong, where most of the world's billionaires operate in the workforce. Although there may only be a handful of Super-Billionaires who amassed over $50 Billion Dollars, the playing field is open in the future for many newcomers. What makes them different? What can we learn? Who’s next? Study the habits of, . . . . “Billionaires On Planet Earth” from 120 of the most successful. They are thrifty and consider basic cost. They are continuing a constant quest for learning the latest information. They know the value of exercise and smart food to secure wellness. They understand the value of rest, meditation and prayer. They start their day early and have a plan ready for action. They see things differently and act on them. They don’t understand, “No” as an answer. They are always possibility thinkers and then doers of action. They have learned, the more you give, the more you get in the realm of tithing, philanthropy and just old fashion basic giving back.

The acclaimed investigative reporter and author of Confronting Collapse examines the global forces that led to 9/11 in this provocative exposé. The attacks of September 11, 2001 were accomplished through an amazing orchestration of logistics and personnel. Crossing the Rubicon examines how such a conspiracy was possible through an interdisciplinary analysis of petroleum, geopolitics, narco-traffic, intelligence and militarism—without which 9/11 cannot be understood. In reality, 9/11 and the resulting "War on Terror" are parts of a massive authoritarian response to an emerging economic crisis of unprecedented scale. Peak Oil—the beginning of the end for our industrial civilization—is driving the elites of American power to implement unthinkably draconian measures of repression, warfare and population control. Crossing the Rubicon is more than a story of corruption and greed. It is a map of the perilous terrain through which we are all now making our way.