For months, Saudi Arabia has been leading a bombing campaign against Houthis in Yemen. Now foreign ground troops are joining the fight.

Why is Yemen so important to Saudi Arabia? Is this simply a proxy war involving Iran (Saudi Arabia’s regional rival)? And if it deteriorates further, how might the conflict affect the rest of the world?

A regional struggle may be about to escalate. Saudi Arabia has 150,000 troops on its southern border with Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition is committing more military resources. This month, the United Arab Emirates sent in a military brigade to join the fight on the ground.

To discuss Yemen’s regional tension:

Baraa Shiban is a Yemeni human rights activist.

Mohammed Alyahya is a Saudi political analyst.

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is a research associate at the Center for Research on Globalization.

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PART 1

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To discuss the region’s involvement in Yemen’s conflict:
Catherine…