US magazine: Saudi–UAE rift shifts from alliance to open conflict
WASHINGTON, Feb. 09 (YPA) – A strategic analysis published by the American magazine Foreign Affairs has warned that tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are deepening into what a broad strategic rivalry that increasingly bears the hallmarks of open confrontation between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
According to an analysis from Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, the roots of the dispute can be traced to southern and eastern Yemen, where competing agendas between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have gradually surfaced despite their formal alliance.
Tools of an Open Rivalry
The report highlights that the conflict has moved from behind closed doors into the open, with several key dynamics emerging:
- Failure of containment: The disputes can no longer be managed diplomatically, even by the United States, which has traditionally served as a central hub for both countries’ alliances.
- Broadening scope: While direct military confrontation remains unlikely, the “cold war” between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi now spans economic policy, security, and regional influence.
- Revealing strategies: Abu Dhabi continues to operate through backroom maneuvers, while Saudi Arabia has adopted a “cards-on-the-table” approach, seeking to expose Emirati moves and use them to curb its rival’s regional influence.
The Struggle for Control
The analysis confirms long-standing warnings from Sana’a that the Saudi-led coalition has no coherent plan for Yemen, treating the country instead as a battleground for regional rivalries.
Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the regional leader, is increasingly at odds with Emirati ambitions, as the UAE uses its southern proxies to impose a political and military reality that advances its interests in strategic ports and maritime corridors— bringing the entire region to a boiling point.
@E.Y.M