Yemen War Explained: How Saudi Arabia and UAE Turned Allies Into Rivals

 

Yemen Caught Between Allies: How Saudi Arabia and the UAE Turned a War Into a Power Game

Yemen has turned into a tragic scene to one of the most awkward truths of the Middle East:

previously cooperating parties Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now quietly liaising against one another within the same war.

What started as a balance sheet arrangement to stabilize Yemen has gradually evolved to be some sort of a proxy power conflict, with national interests taking precedence over humanitarian issues and civilians as the gravest casualties.

Yemen: More Than a War Zone

Yemen is not any other war nation. It is very crucial to world trade, energy flows, and military influence, due to its strategic position along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The person who dominates the ports and coastline of Yemen acquires a bargaining far beyond its territory.

It is in this interest of positioning, rather than peace that regional powers are so engaged.

Saudi Arabia Strategy: Unity by Control.

The Saudi Arabia is officially on the side of the internationally recognized government of Yemen, and claims to maintain the unity of the country. This seems on paper responsible and stabilizing.

Actually, unity is strategic;

The security of Saudi borders would be guaranteed with a unified Yemen under amicable leadership.

It restricts the proliferation of the Iran-supported Houthi power.

It enables Riyadh to have long-term military and political leverage.

In this case, stability is not described based on Yemeni self-determination, but Saudi national security interests.

The UAE Strategy: Power By Division.

The UAE uses a very different paradigm. Abu Dhabi is concerned not with ideology nor unity but with assets and access.

In supporting Southern Transitional Council (STC), the UAE has:

Enhanced its power in ports and coastal routes in the south.

Guaranteed the access to strategic trading routes.

Placed itself in a position that could be at an advantage of a possible autonomous South Yemen.

It is not emotional geopolitics, it is the corporate style of foreign policy, which is long-term returns-oriented.

The Mukalla Incident: Not a Message, but a Mistake.

Among the most revealing incidences of this competition was the Saudi airstrike on an allegedly weapons-bound convoy to the STC near the port of Mukalla. The weapons were alleged to have been obtained in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia alleged that they were of UAE origin which Abu Dhabi refuted.

No matter what the authorities said, what was understood was:

The Saudi Arabia will not allow the UAE to expand freely within Yemen.

This was not an accident. It was a warning.

Between Brotherhood and Silent Rivalry.

On the surface, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are still displaying their unity, both through joint summits, diplomatic smiles, and Gulf solidarity statements.

On the ground, however:

Various patrons support rival militias.

Areas of strategy are fought over without shouting.

Confidence among the partners is lost.

What is left is not a close alliance, but a convenient coincidence.

The Real Cost: Yemen's People

As regional giants fight over ports, oil fields and power, normal Yemeni people endure:

Widespread famine

Mass displacement

Economic collapse

A generation of people without stability or hope.

Peace to most civilians has become a farfetched reality that is talked about in foreign reports.

Final Decision No Innocent Side.

This is no longer a clash of ideology or preventing terrorism.

Saudi Arabia wants to have control by being united.

The UAE wants to have its way divided.

Yemen is a device, rather than a country.

Unless regional ambition is put in the back seat of human existence, the misery of Yemen will persist - silently, indefinitely, and mostly without notice.