Saudi Arabia's airstrikes in Yemen are fuelling the Gulf's fire

[Jefferson23]

World View: Arab intervention in Yemen risks entrenching Sunni-Shia divide and handing a victory to Isis

March 29, 2015
Patrick Cockburn

Foreign states that go to war in Yemen usually come to regret it. The Saudi-led military intervention so far involves only air strikes, but a ground assault may follow. The code name for the action is Operation Decisive Storm, which is probably an indication of what Saudi Arabia and its allies would like to happen in Yemen, rather than what will actually occur.

In practice, a decisive outcome is the least likely prospect for Yemen, just as it has long been in Iraq and Afghanistan. A political feature common to all three countries is that power is divided between so many players it is impossible to defeat or placate them all for very long. Saudi Arabia is backing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi but the humiliating speed of his defeat shows his lack of organised support.

The threat of further intervention by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council may be intended to redress the balance of power in Yemen and prevent the Houthis winning a total victory. But Saudi actions and those of the Sunni coalition will be self-fulfilling if the Houthis – never previously full proxies of Iran – find themselves fighting a war in which they are dependent on Iranian financial, political and military backing.

Likewise, the Houthis, as members of the Zaidi sect, were not always seen by Shia in other countries as part of their religious community. But by leading a Sunni coalition Saudi Arabia will internationalise the Yemen conflict and emphasise its sectarian Sunni-Shia dimension.

Remainder: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/saudi-arabias-airstrikes-in-yemen-are-fuelling-the-gulfs-fire-10141323.html

[tazkcmo]

1. Duh.

What doesn't fuel the fire? We've screwed up this region for so long that even water will act as "fuel".

[Jefferson23]

4. Shrub, ya gotta hand it to him...his wacko ideas went wild, not that he cares. n/t

[bemildred]

2. Thanks for that.

Always like to see what Cockburn has to say.

I see wildly incompatible narratives being flogged 24/7 again. Iran is taking over the region, Iran is falling apart. Yemen is nobody's business. Yemen is a threat to the region and global peace. The Nuke deal is terrible/great and Obama got concessions/caved in again. People are shooting their mouths off.

Have you noticed how Ukraine went quiet when Yemen heated up? I mean it still goes on, but the wall of stories stopped, the Mighty Wurlitzer can only handle so many crises at once.

Boy it is a mess though, entangled doesn't begin to cover it.

[Jefferson23]

3. You're quite the observant man. No I had not noticed that about Ukraine, and you're

correct about that...thank you.

As you know, Iran is a convenient boogeyman for more than one player. If Obama
rids that bogus claim once and for all with an agreement with Iran it will be a step in the right direction.
Have to start somewhere, because as you say, there is so much going on and the
agendas are fierce and too many reckless leaders...not that we don't have our own
contradictions with Yemen as Cockburn points out quite well. I appreciate his work too.

[KoKo]

5. Another interesting bit from the article:

Our taxpayer dollars go to supplying military equipment that either gets into the wrong hands because of lack of Pentagon Oversight and Accounting or now needs to be Blown Up so that "Advancing Forces of the Opposition" can't use it against either us or those we are supposed to be bringing "Freedom & Democracy" to.

How much longer can this go on...when it's all falling apart? I won't wager a bet that it will stop anytime soon, sadly.

The US position becomes even more convoluted. Washington had sought to portray its campaign in Yemen against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as a success. Drone attacks were supposedly wiping out important AQAP operatives, but the humiliating end result of America’s covert war in Yemen came last week when US Special Operations personnel blew up their heavy equipment and fled the country for the US base at Djibouti. AQAP is becoming a stronger force as the shock troops of the Sunni.

[Jefferson23]

6. Yep....getting involved has a price, more ways than one as you well point out.

I have my hopes for an Iran deal..we have to start somewhere and to his credit
Obama is trying to meet that end.