Saudi Arabia executes a cleric who is a member of the Saudi Shi’ite minority. Iran’s government, which sees itself as the leader of the Shi’ite world, doesn’t work very hard to stop an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran that follows the execution. Saudi Arabia closes its embassy and tensions between the two nations, which had been growing for years, hit a new high.
With hot wars in Yemen and Syria, billions of dollars sloshing around between governments and militias and militant groups, it’s a good time to look at what’s really going on and what’s likely to happen next.
Subscribe to the War College podcast on iTunes
Further reading: