''Why it matters.'' [[Riyadh]]’s position is a [[strategic]] bind with no [[military]] exit: striking [[Yemen]] invites the destruction of the [[Yanbu]] terminal itself — the kingdom’s last distribution point — while inaction concedes a chokehold. Our [[Islamabad]] reporting indicates the [[Saudi]]s are already [[negotiating]] through [[Pakistan]], and that Pakistan has declined, categorically, to fight Yemen on Riyadh’s behalf: [[mediation]], not [[war]]. The defense pact has found its limit, exactly where our Monday reporting said it would.}} | ''Why it matters.'' [[Riyadh]]’s position is a [[strategic]] bind with no [[military]] exit: striking [[Yemen]] invites the destruction of the [[Yanbu]] terminal itself — the kingdom’s last distribution point — while inaction concedes a chokehold. Our [[Islamabad]] reporting indicates the [[Saudi]]s are already [[negotiating]] through [[Pakistan]], and that Pakistan has declined, categorically, to fight Yemen on Riyadh’s behalf: [[mediation]], not [[war]]. The defense pact has found its limit, exactly where our Monday reporting said it would.}} |