Global Affairs Session 92 11 September 2026 ANSAR ALLAH VS SAUDI Gulf equations rapidly changing Yemen unified in 1990, but years of rivalry, civil war, outside intervention and regional competition have left it divided and fragile. By September 2026, Ansar Allah’s west-coast advances, Saudi energy-route vulnerabilities, Iran’s strategic support, UAE-linked networks and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement have placed Yemen inside a wider Gulf security equation.
Global Affairs Session 93 14 September 2026 BIN SALMAN IN TROUBLE Yemen tests his leadership Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been integral to the US foreign policy in Middle East since 1940s. It is also crucial for maintaining the Petrodollar. Today, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) remains firmly in power, but Yemen is again testing Saudi strategy, influence, and leadership credibility. Recent Houthi gains around Mokha and Bab el-Mandeb have exposed the costs of fragmented alliances, Saudi-UAE rivalry, and an unresolved conflict. The central issue is not whether MBS is about to fall, but whether repeated setbacks in Yemen are weakening Saudi deterrence, complicating Vision 2030 ambitions, and expanding Iranian regional leverage today.
Global Affairs Session 94 15 September 2026 NEW MIDDLE-EAST RISING From Blocs to Networks By September 2026, the Middle East is no longer organised mainly through fixed blocs and an American security umbrella. Its power map is being redrawn by chokepoints, missiles and drones, armed networks, economic vulnerability and overlapping partnerships. Donald Trump’s US remains militarily central, but Mohammed bin Salman, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, King Abdullah II and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are pursuing more autonomous strategies. Iran has a new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei; Syria has a new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa; and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement links Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan. A more layered, multi-aligned regional order is emerging.
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