Éric Laurent (born 1947) is a French journalist who is best known for his work on the finance and geopolitics of the oil business, and for his work on

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and its government. According to Edwin McDowell, writing in the "Book Notes" column of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Pierre Salinger and Éric Laurent's 1991 book ''Secret Dossier: The Hidden Agenda Behind the Gulf War'', was "already a

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

in France" at the time, and that the book "contends that the United States Government helped undercut efforts by

King Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generatio ...

to find a nonmilitary solution after President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. It also claims to show how war could have been avoided." According to Aurelian Breeden, writing for ''The New York Times'', Laurent has "established a reputation" as a "fierce critic" of the Moroccan leadership. He was arrested in August 2015 (along with co-author Catherine Graciet) for allegedly accepting a bribe to not publish books about the Moroccan leadership ever again. Both authors "do not deny that a financial transaction took place", but that it was either "a trap" or "a private transaction." On March 15, 2023, Éric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, were sentenced in Paris to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros.

Books

* ''Secret Dossier; The Hidden Agenda Behind the Gulf War'', 1991, with

Pierre Salinger Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth White House Press Secretary, press secretary for United States presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon ...

* ''Hassan II: la memoire d'un roi: Entretiens avec Eric Laurent'' 1993 * ''Bush's Secret World: Religion, Big Business and Hidden Networks'', 2004 * ''La face cachée du 11 Septembre'', 2004 * ''Le roi prédateur'', 2012, with Catherine Graciet

References

20th-century French journalists 21st-century French journalists 20th-century French essayists 21st-century French essayists 1947 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) {{France-journalist-stub