09
February 2017
Past Event
America's Allies in the New Administration: Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States

America's Allies in the New Administration: Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
February 09, 2017
Leclerc tanks of the Saudi-led coalition are deployed in the coastal district of Dhubab on January 7, 2017, during a military operation against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies. (SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption
Leclerc tanks of the Saudi-led coalition are deployed in the coastal district of Dhubab on January 7, 2017, during a military operation against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies. (SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP/Getty Images)
09
February 2017
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Lee Smith

Former Senior Fellow

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Mohammed Alyahya

Nonresident Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council

Ali Shihabi

Executive Director, Arabia Foundation

At the end of January, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a suicide attack against a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea. This was only Iran’s latest provocation against American allies in the Middle East. The Saudis have been one of Tehran’s prime targets—from backing the Houthis in Yemen as a proxy force against Riyadh, to setting fire to two Saudi diplomatic missions last year. The concern in Riyadh is that Washington has not been listening to its regional partners. However, in a marked change from the Obama years, the Trump administration recently sent a stern warning to the Iranians, putting them on notice and imposing a new round of sanctions on the Islamic regime, all the while consulting with senior leadership in Riyadh.

What can American allies in the Middle East expect with the change in administrations: the firm posture of a superpower whose leadership has guided the Persian Gulf for nearly seven decades, or a continuation of the previous administration's policies that left friends unsure and adversaries emboldened? To address these issues, Hudson Institute hosted a discussion with Middle East experts including Hudson's Michael Doran, the Atlantic Council's Mohammed Alyahya, and the Arabia Foundation's Ali Shihabi. Hudson Senior Fellow Lee Smith moderated the discussion.

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