From pariah to power player: Saudi’s MBS reclaims world stage in U.S. visit

DUBAI - On his first White House visit since the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi sparked global outrage, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on a mission to reclaim his place on the world stage and prove to President Donald Trump that backing his forceful leadership was worth the gamble.Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler — widely known as MBS — underscores a relationship built on strategic interests that have endured even as the uproar around the 2018 killing of Khashoggi, an insider-turned-critic, recedes into history. Seven years on, MBS now casts himself as a broker of peace, repairing ties with Iran, pushing for a Gaza ceasefire and welcoming Syria back into the Arab fold, a striking pivot from a prince once branded reckless for plunging into Yemen’s war.Both reformist and autocrat, MBS has emerged as the most momentous and audacious leader in the kingdom’s modern history — driving its transformation and shaping its future.