Saudi Arabia's Yemen gamble may define its regional role for years http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-yemen-security-saudi-risks-idUSKBN0MN28P20150327 Saudi Arabia's campaign to stop the Houthis from ruling over Yemen could define its role in the Middle East for years and shape its regional struggle with the rebels' ally Iran. Success would establish Riyadh as de facto leader of the region's Sunni states it has pulled together in a complex armed operation, and embolden it to pursue a more assertive stance against what it sees as the expansionist ambitions of its arch rival Shi'ite Iran in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Bahrain. But failure could hamper Riyadh's ability to persuade allies and neighbors to join it in future ventures and deal a public setback to its new monarch King Salman as well as other senior princes early in his reign. "This campaign has confirmed that Saudi Arabia is the heavyweight power in the region. But they've taken a risk," said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political scientist from the United Arab Emirates. "If this thing fails, Iran is going to be much more emboldened and in this region there's usually a zero-sum game between Tehran and Riyadh. This is a test for the new king and Saudi Arabia," said Abdulla. Riyadh wants to reinstate some stability and its own influence in Yemen by ensuring President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is strong enough to force his opponents to negotiate. (More at above url)
About time they gave peace a chance. Any fool can pull a trigger. It takes good sense, courage and determination to promote the peace line.
The Jamestown Foundation borrowed the title of this thread for a recent article. To Topple the Throne: Islamic State Sets Its Sights on Saudi Arabia, March 6th, 2015, by Chris Zambelis. Some interesting excerpts: Who knew that ISIS had their own official magazine? And ISIS has proclaimed that their flag will "fly over Mecca and Medina." Just words, but it certainly makes their goals clear. ISIS wants to open a 3 front war on the Kingdom: from the north, from the south (Yemen), and from inside the country. This clarifies why the Kingdom got so aggressive in Yemen. They are worried. They are not going to standby and let ISIS surround and bring them down by a thousand cuts. More discussion of this article at The Counter Jihad Report