How Regional Power Struggles Stoke Yemen’s Conflict | Brian Katulis

How Regional Power Struggles Stoke Yemen’s Conflict

By Brian Katulis, NSN Board of Directors Chair
March 26, 2015 | Wall Street Journal

For all the complaints from the Middle East about the Obama administration’s reticence to involve itself deeply in conflicts such as those in Syria and Yemen, nations in the region act on their own when motivated. Saudi military intervention in Yemen‘s civil war–actually a joint effort by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain–underscores a broader struggle for power that is accelerating the collapse of states across the Middle East. The key question now is whether regional actions will lead to stability or further turmoil.

At its core, Yemen’s conflict is an internal struggle for power between long-competing factions. But in the past year it has taken on dimensions of the broader fight between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict that has plagued Iraq and Syria.

The United States is mostly focused on achieving a nuclear deal with Iran and countering terrorist threats to its homeland. But U.S. officials should closely monitor these broader Mideast dynamics and remain prepared to take targeted action to support stability and peace.

Figuring out how to engage in this cauldron is easier said than done. Three things stand out about the overall landscape and how it relates to what’s happening in Yemen.

Brian Katulis is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Chairman of the NSN Board of Directors. He is on Twitter: @katulis.

To continue reading this piece, click here.