Here is what appears to me to be a pretty good primer on Yemen that concludes that Egypt and Saudi Arabia will make things worse by intervening and that all outside parties, including the U.S., will regret getting involved there.
The other day, I somewhat cynically (and jokingly) suggested that Egypt’s junta represents the closest thing to a “moderate” Sunni organized fighting force and that they should invade the Arabian peninsula and restore order. I had Iraq and Syria more in mind than Yemen, but I am not really surprised that I anticipated their involvement abroad in the larger Sunni/Shi’a fight.
However, they are entering the fight in Yemen in an alliance with Saudi Arabia, which is a major difference between this go-round and Egypt’s disastrous involvement in the 1960’s. As for the Saudis, just yesterday morning I was pondering why we give them all this military equipment if they won’t even use it in a situation like this. So, count me as the least surprised person in the world to discover this morning that the Saudis are mobilizing their troops.
Here’s what is going down:
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain—five of the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council—decided to intervene in Yemen in response to a request by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, they said in a joint statement Thursday. The U.S. plans to provide logistical and intelligence support, the White House said late Wednesday.
Egypt is also coordinating participation in the campaign by its air force and navy, and could send a ground force if necessary, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Turkey also said on Thursday it supports the Saudi Arabia-led military operation, condemning the Houthi militia’s “unilateral” assault on Aden.
Pretty much the whole Sunni world is behind this effort, with countries as far afield as Pakistan, Jordan and Sudan also offering support. But, I fail to see how this Saudi-led effort will bring about more moderation or an answer to ISIS.
