Guardian Editorial: The Saudi–Emirati Conflict Has Spiraled Out of Control—and Yemen Is Paying the Price
The British newspaper says the battle for influence between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has turned into an existential confrontation stretching from Yemen to the Horn of Africa
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The Guardian: The Gulf dispute is more dangerous than the 2017 Qatar crisis
The British newspaper The Guardian said that the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is no longer containable, noting that it is expanding at an accelerating pace and growing increasingly “rabid,” spreading across multiple regional arenas—most notably Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia.
In its editorial, the paper argued that the current crisis surpasses in severity what occurred during the 2017 boycott of Qatar, explaining that the present battle appears closer to an “existential confrontation aimed at eliminating the other” between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Riyadh sees the Emirati project in Yemen as a “stab in the back”
The editorial noted that Saudi Arabia has come to view the Emirati role in Yemen—within the framework of the former alliance between the two Gulf capitals—as a “treacherous stab in the back” and a political betrayal that warrants a response.
It added that, from Riyadh’s perspective, Abu Dhabi had come to believe that its influence had grown beyond Saudi Arabia’s ability to contain or restrain it within the region.
Allies of both sides face a severe test
The Guardian stressed that the cost of the “bone-crushing battle” between Saudi Arabia and the UAE will not be borne by the two countries alone, but by a wide range of their allies and partners, who will find themselves unable to reconcile relations with both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi at the same time.
It pointed out that Saudi Arabia now considers cutting ties with the UAE a prerequisite for any party wishing to align itself with the Saudi camp in the coming phase.
Competition for Washington—and courting the Trump family
The newspaper reported that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are simultaneously engaged in an intense race to win Washington’s confidence, with each attempting to present itself as the “better agent” for implementing U.S. policies in the region, including those that serve Israel’s interests.
It added that both countries are working to expand their financial ties with the family of U.S. President Donald Trump in an effort to secure his approval and political backing.
The bullet has been fired—there is no turning back
The Guardian concluded its editorial by stating that containing this rift—even if it were possible—would not change the reality that the conflict has already expanded across several countries in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, affirming that “the bullet that has left the gun can never return.”
