Matters of Policy & Politics: American Lion, Near East Hyenas: US Options in Yemen and Iran | Bill Whalen, Joel Rayburn, and Bernard Haykel | Hoover Institution

A new year begins with a familiar story – Middle East turmoil – and two plots twists of late: US forces striking Yemen’s Houthi rebels while trying to safeguard Red Sea maritime traffic; and Iran firing missiles in the directions of Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria, which tests western resolve. Joel Rayburn, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and member of Hoover’s Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group, and Bernard Haykel, a Princeton University professor of Near Eastern Studies and noted expert on Yemen, discuss strategic options in the Middle East including how to curb Iranian aggression, strengthening ties with regional allies, and reintroducing the notion of American-led deterrence.