Ground war on the Arabian Peninsula? (Saudi Arabia goes after Houthis in Yemen)

Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival and the Houthis’ main ally, denounced the assault as an American-backed attempt “to foment civil war in Yemen or disintegrate the country.” Houthi-controlled television channels broadcast footage of dead bodies and wounded civilians, blaming “American-backed aggression.”

Click to expand...

.

Pakistan has been requested to assist Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has responded that if Saudi Arabia were to be attacked, it would assist. However, since Saudi Arabia is the one attacking, Pakistan has advised Saudi Arabia that it will not participate in the offensive.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/pakistan-weighs-saudi-request-to-take-part-in-yemen-operation-1427365327

Well, this is weird. In the past 4 years I've wondered why the US kept having to pay for the gas on these jaunts. I'm never happy to see war & destruction and it's especially disturbing given the scale of unrest and polarized, entrenched beliefs vs/aligned with rapidly evolving technical assets skillfully utilized here & there so:what's so bad in Yemen that the Saudis felt moved to active involvement when they've (apparently) neglected every other area in the past 4 years?

A Shi'a-controlled state will be next to its borders is what seems to be the problem.

Xelebes said:

A Shi'a-controlled state will be next to its borders is what seems to be the problem.

Click to expand...

I've a concern that there's a "reformation" at hand, and it all seems pointlessly, lethally and ethically absurd.

Iran controls the strings of the recent coup, so it's not even just Shi'a, it's basically Iran on the border.

Given the numbers of folks joining Daesh there, I'm glad there will be a strong Sunni showing that doesn't involve them (or Al Qaeda, who are also big there).

There is a reformation of sorts, imho, but that also has to do with Yemen's earlier decision to not allow radical groups, if that makes sense. Kind of like with the Soviets, I mean, although in Yemen it included a weak government that didn't command the respect of the people. The idea that a strong religious government might work is more appealing in a situation like that.

Then you have the normal sectarian strife that comes with the opposite side winning a coup, so that makes folks more 'religious' too since the cultures split along religious lines.

Russia urges UN to call for a 'humanitarian pause' in Yemen

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ae261f9a3a9b4f08b9e87e7111942421/russia-urges-un-call-humanitarian-pause-yemen

Because Russia is just so big on humanitarian issues around the world?

Or it might be that Russia's draft doesn't include the Houthis taking a pause, just the Saudi/Sunni side.So that's not just public backing for Assad's Shiite regime in Syria, but a very telling announcement of Russia's support for Iran in its proxy wars in other parts of the region. That's pretty damned scary.And the war in Yemen is bloody and horrible already. Folks sometimes make out like Western interventions are so much bloodier and cruel than they would be if the folks who lived there ran them themselves, but that's probably just wishful thinking, imho.

Russia did play a large part to stop the blood shed in Ukraine through the Minsk agreement.

sulong said:

Russia did play a large part to stop the blood shed in Ukraine through the Minsk agreement.

Click to expand...

They did a whole lot to start the bloodshed in the Ukraine, so the ball was always more in their court there!


Even if you (general you) like Russia, it's disturbing to see a new, hot, Cold War that now involves a Middle East that is far different than it was during the first one. I'm not saying that the West and Russia are the ones implementing the lines in the ME, but the explicit divide in their backing makes the situation much more disturbing (arms, money, etc).

It was disturbing enough seeing the Saudi-Iran situation heat up so much in so many regions.

backslashbaby said:

They did a whole lot to start the bloodshed in the Ukraine, so the ball was always more in their court there!

Click to expand...

Start? There's always two sides to every story. France and Germany has their side also.

backslashbaby said:

Even if you (general you) like Russia, it's disturbing to see a new, hot, Cold War that now involves a Middle East that is far different than it was during the first one. I'm not saying that the West and Russia are the ones implementing the lines in the ME, but the explicit divide in their backing makes the situation much more disturbing (arms, money, etc).

It was disturbing enough seeing the Saudi-Iran situation heat up so much in so many regions.

Click to expand...

Not a matter of who one "likes", I think if we were to follow the money, we would find the bad guy.

sulong said:

Not a matter of who one "likes", I think if we were to follow the money, we would find the bad guy.

Click to expand...

There's not 'the bad guy' is my point in saying that about 'liking' Russia (the government, obviously). I'm talking about alliance structures in shifting global power architecture. The rest of what I'd say here is just repeating what I posted earlier.