The US president realizes that the Yemeni group is a \u201cformidable fighting force,\u201d the University of Chicago political scientist says<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump has effectively abandoned Saudi Arabia, a key ally in the Middle East, leaving it to face \u201calmost a full-blown war\u201d with Yemen\u2019s Houthis, political scientist and University of Chicago Professor John Mearsheimer said in an interview with RT.
\nHostilities between Riyadh and the Shiite militant group, officially known as Ansarullah, have flared up in recent weeks after several years of relative calm. The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, while Riyadh-backed government forces have tried to hold off the group\u2019s advances inside Yemen.
\nEarlier this month, the Houthis seized control over Yemen\u2019s Red Sea coast, taking positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait \u2013 a key waterway which Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on for oil exports since navigation through the Strait of Hormuz was reduced to a trickle amid the US-Israeli war against Iran.<\/p>\n
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In an interview with New Order host Afshin Rattansi on Sunday, Mearsheimer said that because of its \u201cfoolish\u201d decision to \u201cattack the Houthis and pick a fight with them,\u201d Saudi Arabia has found itself in \u201creally deep trouble.\u201d He added that the \u201cHouthis are a formidable fighting force, and the Saudis are not.\u201d
\nHe went on to suggest, citing media reports, that Trump encouraged Riyadh to strike an airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in mid-July. The attack, which was apparently meant to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran from landing, shattered the UN-brokered 2022 truce between the Saudis and the Houthis, triggering the current escalation.
\nMearsheimer gave credence to claims made earlier this month by the New York Times, which said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman phoned Trump on multiple occasions in recent weeks, asking for military support against the Houthis. The president decided, however, not to intervene, according to the NYT. Trump was reportedly close to authorizing strikes on the Houthis last weekend, but reversed his decision at the last minute.
\nAccording to Mearsheimer, \u201cthe last thing [Trump] wants to do is get into a fight with [the Houthis] to try to rescue Saudi Arabia\u201d \u2013 not least because of how badly America\u2019s attempt to bomb the Houthis into submission went last year.
\nLess than two months into the campaign, Trump abruptly announced a ceasefire, declaring victory and saying the Houthis promised not to attack US ships.
\n\u201cBut in fact, the Houthis beat the United States. We did not defeat the Houthis,\u201d Mearsheimer said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Al-Mayadeen on Saturday, the head of the National Security Committee in the Iranian Parliament, Ibrahim Azizi, warned neighboring Arab nations against cooperating with the US and allowing it to use their territory as a launchpad for attacks.
\nAzizi added that the US security umbrella in the Middle East has proven to be ineffective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US president realizes that the Yemeni group is a \u201cformidable fighting force,\u201d the University of Chicago political scientist says US President Donald Trump has effectively abandoned Saudi Arabia, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t