Is The Saudi Royal Family Exploiting UK Libel Law?

House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World’s Two Most Powerful Dynasties, Craig Unger’s book about the tangled connections between President Bush and his circle and Saudi Arabia’s royal family, became a best seller in the United States this spring, and is now being published in Germany, Spain and Brazil, among other places. But it is not for sale in Britain… British publishing has long been notoriously hamstrung by the country’s libel laws, which place the burden of proof on the defendant… But what is causing particular consternation in publishing and legal circles now is that Mr. Unger’s case may be yet another example of how wealthy Saudis are increasingly using British laws to intimidate critics.”