It has been two months since Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s ascendance to the role of heir to the Saudi Arabian throne, and the preliminary effects of his aggressive economic diversification and anti-Iran platforms are beginning to show. The influence of Bin Salman (widely known as MBS) on foreign policy can most readily be seen in Iraq, where Iranian support for the war against the Islamic State has carved out a special niche for Tehran. While Riyadh had been preoccupied with battling Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian government strengthened their commitment to a unified Iraq, free from ISIS and free from the threat of an independent Kurdistan. But now the tides are changing . Emirati and Saudi politicians are making their rounds in Baghdad, rekindling old Gulf ties that have suffered since dictator Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait in the 90s. Riyadh announced the inauguration […]