Yemen is the ground zero where the forces of Islam's two great traditions -- Sunnism and Shi'ism -- collide over the hegemony of the Middle East. It also happens that whoever controls Yemen, controls shipping through the Red Sea.
UPDATE:
#BREAKING: Houthis take over US-trained special forces base in Sanaa, #Yemen.
http://t.co/GBEly3E77O
— Conflict News (@rConflictNews) February 25, 2015
Feb. 11, 2015
CONTROL OF YEMEN, MEANS CONTROL OVER RED SEA SHIPPING
Control of Yemen means control of shipping through the Red Sea. This is very bad for world peace. Pay attention. pic.twitter.com/mj8enY3m3r
— Masada (@1amyisraelchai) February 12, 2015
UPDATE: This sort of memes no longer sounds overly speculative. Question is, is the loss of Yemen to the Houthi rebels a coincidence?
The Gulf Coop Council ministers warned that if the Security Council fails to adopt a resolution that would allow for the use of military force "over the Houthis' illegitimate' seizure of power," then the GCC states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates might essentially intervene on their own. (...) Egypt has set up a special rapid deployment force that could intervene if the Houthis threaten shipping lanes in the strategic Red Sea, according to Egyptian security officials. The Egyptians and Saudis are coordinating a joint military responseWho holds Yemen, controls the shipping routes through the Red Sea.
#PT It's very easy to dismiss Alloush as a conspiracy theorist, but the Obama-Assad/Iran alliance is gonna make this plausible to many.
— Kyle W. Orton (@KyleWOrton) February 16, 2015
The only possible reason U.S. would stop the Islamic State in Kobani and not Assad in Douma? The U.S. has sided with Assad/Iran in #Syria.
— Kyle W. Orton (@KyleWOrton) February 16, 2015
KSA & Egypt are ready to act vs the Iranian (& Obama) backed Houthis in Yemen http://t.co/d0XgVnqH8X
— David Shor (@IshYimini) February 16, 2015
Related