A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Saudi Arabia Halts Bombing, Declares Victory: Did I Miss Something?

Saudi Arabia announced today that it has ended its bombing campaign in Yemen, having "achieved its military goals," and that a new Operation named "Restore Hope" will begin, aimed at finding a political solution in Yemen.

Wait, what? They won? I thought the Houthis were still fighting in Aden? Is there a real move toward negotiation? Or are hey worried about cross-border blowback into Saudi territory around Najran?

Something just happened, but I'm not sure what.

1 comment:

David Mack said...

Your skepticism about Saudi claims is understandable. But, if Saudis were not intending all along to follow military attacks with a political process of some kind, it was mindless strategy. Let's see what Saudis do next. Maybe someone in Riyadh has read Clausewitz after all.