Saudi Arabia’s use of soft power in Iraq is making Iran nervous
The kingdom is eyeing southern Iraq, which Iran considers its backyard
IT ALMOST feels like old times. Before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Gulf Arabs partied on the banks of the Shatt al-Arab river in southern Iraq. Many owned villas in the fields around Basra and took Iraqi wives. Now, after a break of three decades, they are back. Saudi Arabia is putting the finishing touches on a consulate in Basra’s Sheraton hotel, where Iraqi crooners sing love songs and waiters dance. Last month a dozen Saudi poets travelled to Basra for a literary festival.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Return of the kingdom”
Middle East & Africa March 10th 2018
- Saudi Arabia’s use of soft power in Iraq is making Iran nervous
- How to save Botswana’s sparkling reputation
- Ahead of a farcical election, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi goes after the press
- Africans want to sell donkey skins. Western charities want to stop them
- Increasing debt in many African countries is a cause for worry
From the March 10th 2018 edition
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