Mohammed bin Salman and Another Failure to Garner U.S. Support

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, in his latest attempt to garner U.S. military support against Houthi threats, contacted Donald Trump twice in recent days, requesting the initiation of U.S. airstrikes against Houthi forces on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. However, Trump declined this request and only provided information and assistance regarding targeting.

Lack of Trust in America

The question of why Mohammed bin Salman made such a request from Donald Trump seems to be rooted in the history of Saudi-American relations. In the September 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, Trump responded negatively to Saudi requests for military action against Iran, explicitly stating that he had never promised to protect Saudi Arabia.

Read more: Power outage in Tunisia; a summer crisis against heat and government indifference

Seven years later, this hypothesis still exists in Riyadh and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, that when their security is severely threatened, Washington will ultimately come to their aid. However, the reality is that this hypothesis is not only incorrect, but the American security order in the Middle East has ended, and ignoring this fact could lead to serious risks for regional security.

Impacts of the Iran War

The Iran war has shown that this order is not only unreliable but also ineffective. U.S. military bases in Gulf Cooperation Council countries have become vulnerabilities rather than security resources against Iranian attacks. David Petraeus, former CIA director, recently admitted that these bases are "no longer acceptable" and the United States has failed to protect them from Iranian attacks.

While U.S. security coverage has been beneficial for some countries in recent years, the order governing it, based on exclusion and containment of Iran, has paved the way for the destructive wars we are witnessing today. This bloc formation has become a source of instability instead of creating a protective shield for Washington's regional partners.

Opportunities Amid Crises

However, with every crisis, there are also opportunities. The collapse of the old order provides a chance to establish a new order in the region; one based on collective and inclusive security that avoids the formation of hostile blocs. This means moving towards a system where regional countries create institutions to manage their tensions.

The Iran war could become another devastating conflict in the Middle East, or it could become a turning point for establishing security and stability in the region. Iran cannot be permanently sidelined, and Israel must find a way to enter this order, provided it stops the illegal occupation of Palestine.

Gulf Cooperation Council countries also cannot remain permanently dependent on Washington and must take greater responsibility for their own security. This model could help create a regional security architecture that includes all countries and manages rather than eliminates rivalries.

Read more: Houthi advances in the Bab al-Mandab corridor · Israel's concern over Saudi Arabia's weakness against Yemen and its impact on the region