Amid all the debate about what the West should or shouldn't do about the Syrian civil war, few if any commentators acknowledge the reality that the political outcome in Syria matters more to regional states than it does to the West.

In this Lowy Institute Analysis, Research Fellow Associate Professor Rodger Shanahan examines how Arab Gulf States, led by Saudi Arabia, are responding to the Obama administration’s less interventionist approach to the Middle East by adopting a more assertive regional policy aimed at containing Iran diplomatically and militarily.

Tehran has reportedly sent around one thousand élite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) troops to back up its proxy Hezbollah forces that are fighting Islamic State terrorists in Syria.

Australia is a member of the Friends of Yemen, and Canberra can play an important role in encouraging practical steps towards its recovery that will go a long way towards averting a major security and humanitarian disaster, one that will likely occur if adequate international assistance is not provided soon.