Gulf States

The United States will need to supplement its traditional approach of focusing on arms transfers, military presence, and redlines with a commitment to push back against Iranian regional influence.

The latest restructuring in the Saudi hydrocarbon sector could mean new policies for the world's largest oil exporter.

The appointment of a new crown prince and the promotion of the king's son to deputy crown prince will likely increase tension in the Saudi royal family.

While airstrikes in Yemen are changing the nature of AQAP's battlespace, they are not yet fundamentally altering the strategic calculus behind a campaign that took shape well before the Saudi-led intervention.

Heeding fears over Iranian subversion and the security of the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait, the United States and other countries have been drawn into a longstanding Saudi-Yemeni dispute whose deep roots may not be fully appreciated.

Volcanic changes in the region are under way, with the outbreak of Sunni-Shiite wars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, unprecedented tension between Washington and Israel, and U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks that appear on the verge of breakthrough. Watch an expert discussion of these challenges and the future of U.S. policy in the region.

Although Washington's strategy in Yemen has largely unraveled, U.S. officials have several options for building on the current pan-Arab intervention, bolstering the Hadi government, and addressing the causes of instability in the country.

Cairo's entry into the conflict represents an important opportunity to clarify U.S. policy toward Egypt, improve tense bilateral relations, and bolster Gulf security interests.

With a new king and a young, untested defense minister, Riyadh has plunged headlong into war in Yemen, with nothing less at stake than the kingdom's leadership of the Arab world.