Yemen: Between Iraq and Somalia

... repeatedly uttered threats against the KSA. The heart of the matter seems to lie in fear of the Shiite expansion. The Saudis have long been vocal about their concern over the prospects of a Shiite crescent encompassing Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, and Yemen could now become another ally of Iran, completing the encirclement of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi response to the Houthi rise was akin to panic, as they rushed to pressure the Arab League into deciding to set up a coalition and launch an air campaign despite the risk that this approach would merely repeat U.S. mistakes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Along with the Houthi advance, Riyadh seems fearful of changes in U.S. policy, as ...