Saudi Arabia's friendship comes at a cost — and the cost appears to be rising. Yesterday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met with Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, during which they discussed Riyadh's concerns over instability in places such as Yemen, the Palestinian territories, Somalia, Libya and Syria. Talks ended with a gift of $5 billion of Saudi military aid that was originally earmarked for Lebanon but was instead given to Sudan. The swift diversion of aid underscores Saudi Arabia's desire to make sure its checkbook diplomacy is yielding the desired results. During the reign of King Salman, Saudi Arabia has accelerated its efforts to buy allies; the developing U.S.-Iranian relationship last year spooked Saudi Arabia into swifter action in solidifying and identifying its friends in the Middle East.