The Rise to Power of Mohammad Bin Salman. The gripping chronicle of the rise of Saudi Arabia's secretive and mercurial new ruler. 'MBS' is the untold story of how one man fought his way to the summit of power in Saudi Arabia, the wealthiest country in the Middle East and a key ally of the United States. Even in his youth as an obscure prince among the vast Saudi royal family, Mohammad bin Salman nurtured sweeping ambitions to accumulate power and reshape his staunchly conservative kingdom and its interactions with the world.