Last week, Gulf fighter jets attacked sites of the Houthi movement in Yemen at the request of the Yemeni government headed by Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. Operation Decisive Storm is still on and will probably continue for many days.
Military aircraft from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar are taking part in the operation. Oman is not participating militarily, which may be something positive.
We need a reliable party in the Gulf that can contribute to the post-war scene, since wars are waged to achieve political goals, and Oman can play that role.
I am not one of those who dearly want “direct” military intervention. I used the word “direct” in a tweet. War is not a picnic; wars have horrors, tragedies and consequences, especially when launched between neighbouring countries.
However, it seems that the Gulf’s military leaders and experts had seen the developments on the ground that pushed them to launch this war in self-defence.
It is clear that patience had run out and the situation in Yemen was sliding to a point of no return, with the country likely to become a failed state that would be a breeding ground for chaos, sectarian strife and aggressive Iranian interference. Yemen had become a dagger in the side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Gulf military intervention in Yemen has the following positive results:
1. The Gulf countries are one unit and they have a common goal and unified security policies when it comes to crucial issues.
2. Despite the rift between some Gulf Cooperation Council members, they strike against any danger as one hand.
3. The Arabian Peninsula will remain Arab and their Gulf is Arab; interference in its affairs is a red line that the Gulf states will not allow anyone to cross.
4. The war against the Houthis is not a sectarian on launched by Sunni Gulf states, as Iran and its followers will portray it. The Gulf states have been conducting air strikes for months against the Sunni IS in Iraq and Syria and also facing the danger of the Sunni Al Qaeda in Yemen for years.
5. The Arab reaction at this stage is that this is basically a Gulf action. This is our fate in the Gulf in this dark phase of Arab history.
6. The joint Gulf military action will be an important step towards future coordination and a unified Gulf confederation, which we hope to achieve.
7. The Gulf states should manage the media discourse about this war imposed on them. They should beware of the slip of the tongue and avoid conflicting signals that create confusion and ambiguity.
These positive aspects can be used for this intervention, and the hope is that the Gulf states don’t have to intervene directly on the ground. The Yemenis do not need men to fight, but they need air cover to deter the Shia militias and Ali Abdullah Saleh.
But what next? The Yemeni public is in favour of President Hadi. People hate the reckless and bloody Houthi movement and Saleh, who Yemenis rebelled against and died to overthrow.
There is widespread support for the Gulf intervention. But we should take into consideration the following points:
1. Iran and its agents in the region will work to portray the events as a Saudi aggression, invasion and occupation. Attempts are being made to make things harder for Saudi Arabia — to isolate it from the rest of the Gulf states, which is an Iranian strategy. We shouldn’t do or say anything that will serve this goal.
2. We should hasten to end the military action and help the legitimate government and the Yemeni army take the reins of power, and avoid appearing in public. This is besides working on an economic rescue plan for Yemen.
3. Affirm that these actions are for Yemen, without any airs of superiority over our brothers in Yemen. The Yemeni situation is sensitive, and Yemenis’ dignity is the root of Arab pride. Therefore, preserving this dignity is important to managing this conflict, especially in the media.
4. We should neither ignore Yemen nor hesitate to support it, as we did for years until the recent events unfolded.
5. On the internal front, we should be careful not to let Iran and its agents intervene in Gulf affairs. Internal security should be based on rule of law and respect for human rights. Involving Gulf citizens in the management of the conflict will make everyone feel that the Gulf is a key decision-maker and a decisive factor in events.
We are fighting a war that we dislike and was imposed on us. There is no room for assumptions, using strong words and being irresolute. We, as people of the Gulf, should stand together as one for Yemen, our security and our common destiny.
We support our heroes, the Gulf troops, since we cannot allow disintegration.
The author is an academic and
media person
