Dangerous games in Syria and beyond

To an extent observers in earlier decades could scarcely have credited (see main article), Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) governments have deployed their military capacity to sometimes devastating effect in conflicts in Libya and Yemen; in Yemen, Saudi political leadership of the anti-Houthi coalition is unprecedented in modern times. GCC intervention in Syria has thus far focused on providing support for proxies, but other options may beckon in what could prove the region’s defining conflict. More assertive, bellicose regional politics do not come without risks.