Publication

This analysis discusses Saudi involvement in Yemen's political crisis that started in 2014, highlighting that the war has, from its inception, carried significant political risk for Saudi King Salman and his son. The author argues that after months of fighting, Saudi support for the war in Yemen is waning and opponents of the king and his son are sharpening their claws. A Saudi-led victory in Yemen is therefore of paramount importance and gives the king powerful incentive to use disproportionate force to achieve it, even if this means that Yemen becomes a failed state and thus a haven for terrorist organizations, with serious consequences for the security of Saudi Arabia.