It turns out your success at geopolitics has little to do with your soccer abilities; at least that’s what author Simon Mabon argued in his article in The Conversation last March. At the time, Saudi and Russian leaders were preparing to meet in Moscow during the World Cup as their teams, the two lowest-ranked of the tournament at the time of the final draw, faced off. Mabon joins us today to continue his discussion of Saudi Arabia and international relations, focusing on religion and legitimacy, contested sovereignty and political violence. Mabon is the author of the book Saudi Arabia and Iran: Power and Rivalry in the Middle East, and he’ll help us understand the range of identity groups within Saudi Arabia and Iran and how internal insecurity foments geopolitical competition between the countries.