Get audio access with any FP subscription. Subscribe Now ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

Get audio access with any FP subscription.

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

I feel bad for the Saudis. They find themselves hammered between the Iranians and the Houthis, an unhappy situation thanks in part to a feckless and mercurial U.S. president. Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia’s leaders have wanted nothing more than regional stability while they go about the business of transforming their country. For a while there, the Middle East was just stable enough for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his advisors to dream big about a radically changed kingdom by 2030.

And then Hamas struck Israel in October 2023, kicking off a regional war. The Saudis have done everything they can to steer clear of that war—a rational response to the violence and bloodshed. And yet, Riyadh’s own lack of strategic forethought has made the country’s problems worse.

I feel bad for the Saudis. They find themselves hammered between the Iranians and the Houthis, an unhappy situation thanks in part to a feckless and mercurial U.S. president. Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia’s leaders have wanted nothing more than regional stability while they go about the business of transforming their country. For a while there, the Middle East was just stable enough for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his advisors to dream big about a radically changed kingdom by 2030.

And then Hamas struck Israel in October 2023, kicking off a regional war. The Saudis have done everything they can to steer clear of that war—a rational response to the violence and bloodshed. And yet, Riyadh’s own lack of strategic forethought has made the country’s problems worse.

The latest escalation between Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah (aka the Houthis)—which took place on July 13 when the Saudi Air Force allegedly bombed the runway at Sanaa International Airport—was, in a word, unnecessary, and in more words, a function of poor judgment.

Why the Saudis would start this fight is a mystery. Apparently, they were acting on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized........

© Foreign Policy