The deal between the US and Saudi Arabia to help the Gulf kingdom develop nuclear energy is a coup for Mohammed bin Salman.

Some observers believe he played President Trump, letting it be known that if the US did not offer nuclear know-how, he would have happily collaborated with China, Pakistan, or even Russia.

However it came about, the announcement heralds the start of a nuclear arms race in the Gulf, which will play out across the region over the coming years.

It throws into sharp relief the intriguing relationship between the region’s two most powerful figures: Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

MBZ was already an experienced regional leader when MBS became Saudi defence minister in 2015 and became an early mentor, helping to shape his thinking and introducing him to international networks in Washington and elsewhere. 

They shared a similar worldview, driven by mutual suspicion of Iranian influence and a desire to reshape regional politics after the upheavals of the Arab Spring. The 2015 intervention in Yemen; support for Egypt’s post-Arab Spring government; and the 2017 Qatar blockade were testament to their collaboration.

They shared a similar worldview, driven by mutual suspicion of Iranian influence and a desire to reshape regional politics after the upheavals of the Arab Spring. The 2015 intervention in Yemen; support for Egypt’s post-Arab Spring government; and the 2017 Qatar blockade were testament to their collaboration.

But a once warm relationship cooled long ago and became a personal battle for supremacy. Collaboration is ancient........

© Middle East Monitor