WarSclerotic

Saudi Arabia, it seems, is determined to fend off Iranian aggression in its back yard. The clashes in Yemen this week bear a striking resemblance to the events in Bahrain some four years ago. Back then, Saudi Arabia intervened militarily to prevent the Iranian-backed Shiite majority from toppling the Sunni monarch.

But Yemen is different because the Iranian threat has increased significantly and is now expanding rapidly thanks to America’s tacit approval and the Islamic State group’s ongoing attacks. Saudi Arabia has managed to marshal the support of other Arab states — including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Morocco — because the region’s stability is at stake.

As important as Washington’s role may be, the Arab states figured they should not wait for President Barack Obama to act. They had to go it alone. The region is ablaze and the conflict in Yemen is no longer confined to the Arabian Peninsula. It is a regional conflict that involves several protagonists.

It took Riyadh no more than a few days to assemble a coalition of about a dozen states that would fight Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who were about to capture Aden (having already taken over the capital Sanaa). At one point the Houthis even managed to take over Aden International Airport and the Port of Aden, forcing the ousted pro-American and pro-Saudi president to flee to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia considered it essential to send troops to the Arab peninsula’s southwestern region and take sides in a civil war. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser did the same thing in the 1960s.

Saudi Arabia’s goal is clear: to avert a Houthi takeover of Yemen. But what has taken place in Yemen is a microcosm for a much larger battle, and its impact will be felt across the region. The conflict in Yemen is essentially a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It is yet another chapter in the ongoing feud between the Sunnis and the Shiites.

The conflict may result in a much wider conflagration if things get out of hand. And things could get worse because America has displayed utter incompetence. Rather than take action, it has opted to “lead from behind,” just like it did in Libya in 2011. The administration’s passive response has not been lost on Saudi Arabia, which had expected its trans-Atlantic friend to lend a hand. Having lost trust in Obama, it turned to other nations. One of them is its strategic ally Pakistan, which received Saudi funding for its nuclear program.

Washington nominally supports Saudi Arabia but is unwilling to actively take part in the war effort. It has been willing to provide logistical and intelligence support, hoping this would contain the violence. In light of this lackluster response, Saudi Arabia had no to choice but to act.

Saudi Arabia has a long-standing rivalry with Iran. This rivalry extends to terminology as well. One country’s Persian Gulf is the other country’s Arabian Gulf. Yemen was Saudi Arabia’s red line. Having already quelled a similar Shiite insurrection at home (inspired by the so called Arab Spring), it resolved not to let the ayatollahs control its southern neighbor.

Riyadh knows full well that inaction in Yemen could prompt Saudi Shiites to stage another rebellion. It would also like to prevent Iran from establishing Hezbollah-like militias that could challenge the House of Saud’s authority at home. As far as Riyadh is concerned, a scenario in which Iran wields ever-growing influence is a nightmare scenario. The nightmare scenario.

The problem is even more complicated than it seems because Iran is in the midst of nuclear talks with the world powers. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he would arrive in Switzerland on Saturday to help seal the deal. Does that mean we can expect an agreement this weekend? Regardless, it is clear that the region is now deep in a dangerous quagmire.

Those who were convinced that a nuclear deal — even a bad one — would prevent a nuclear arms race in the region must have second thoughts in light of this week’s events, especially with the aggressive stance Egypt and Saudi Arabia put on display. Both countries are bent on denying Iran an exclusive hold on nuclear weapons.

Please take this into consideration, Washington.