Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The UAE’s desire to counter Iran and maximize influence over Saudi domestic affairs is keeping it involved in Yemen, where its interests are not always in line with Saudi Arabia’s.
Regional crises, water scarcity, and low agricultural yields mean the Middle East is increasingly less able to feed itself.
Now entering its third year, the civil war in Yemen has exacted a horrific toll on civilians and enabled the expansion of al-Qaeda. Where is Yemen’s war heading and what can local, regional and international actors do to end it?
Farea al-Muslimi discusses a recent trip during which he discovered the wartime realities of his own country.
Saudi Arabia’s newfound regional assertiveness is raising the stakes for Washington.
Improving global security depends on understanding that not all violence stems from state weakness. U.S. Security Assistance policy should evaluate strategy and recipients accordingly.
By catering to the Saudis in Yemen, the United States has empowered al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, strengthened Iranian influence in Yemen, undermined Saudi security, and brought Yemen closer to the brink of collapse.
Of all the foreign policy fantasies of the current administration, one of the most alluring is that key Sunni Arab states can now be mobilized effectively in the service of U.S. interests.
Breaking Yemen further with a militarized U.S. policy will only help AQAP.
Iranian support for the Houthis has been marginal and does not shape their decisionmaking as much as local alliances and conflict dynamics do.
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