Oct 11, 2026 · 59 min · 13 segments
Emma Nelson is joined by Hannah Lucinda Smith and Erin O’Halloran to discuss the EU’s renewed push for enlargement and the attack on Riyadh's international airport. Plus: Petri Burtsoff reports from…
Tyler BrûléEmma NelsonHostErin O'HalloranPanelist
Inzamam RashidHannah Lucinda SmithPanelist
Petri BurtsoffTell us a little bit more about the wider context here, Erin, given the fact that, I mean, you, you take it from a historical and wa-- and, and a wider view, and history rewrites itself, um, at a rate of knots at the moment.
Uh, anybody attempting to write a book at the moment is going to be spending their entire time rewriting.
But the fact that the Saudis seem to have been so sharply dragged into this this weekend or been in the last few days, what does that change?
I think what's really interesting about this is the extent to which it's, um, you know, I, I see it as a, as an extension of Iran's strategy of raising the stakes on the Gulf countries of their continued involvement in these regional conflicts, um, particularly the alliance with the United States.
And, um, obviously this is a slightly different circumstance because the, uh, the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudis goes back to twenty fifteen, so this is a preexisting condition, as the Pakistanis initially made clear regarding the, uh, you know, their, their obligations under the Mecca Defense Pact.
They initially said they wouldn't come in because this has been going on for quite a while and was therefore not covered by a new agreement.
Um, but that being said, the raising of the stakes, the ratcheting up of the stakes, I think is intended to raise the cost both domestically for the Saudis and as well in terms of their international, uh, their, their, the, the, the perception of Saudi Arabia on the global stage as a stable and safe, uh, country.
And essentially, you know, the, the Iranian strategy has been to hit dual use sites in the Gulf to undermine that perception, to undermine global confidence in these countries as, as safe harbors, as places where international trade and business can take place.
Uh, so the fact that this is going to result in the Americans entering, potentially in the Pakistanis and the, the, and the Turks also entering on the side of Saudi Arabia, as much as these, these will be reassuring noises for the Saudi government, if you zoom out, it's also deeply concerning because it means that the conflict is expanding and the region will be destabilized.
This is gonna have even more, um, dif-- like, deep consequences for the economies of these countries, for the, for the global financial markets, but also for, for international, uh, transit and travel.
And all of that undermines the impression that the Gulf region has cultivated for decades of a, of a safe and prosperous, uh, place to do business, to travel, to enjoy oneself, et cetera.
Tell us a little bit more about the wider context here, Erin, given the fact that, I mean, you, you take it from a historical and wa-- and, and a wider view, and history rewrites itself, um, at a rate of knots at the moment.
Uh, anybody attempting to write a book at the moment is going to be spending their entire time rewriting.
But the fact that the Saudis seem to have been so sharply dragged into this this weekend or been in the last few days, what does that change?
I think what's really interesting about this is the extent to which it's, um, you know, I, I see it as a, as an extension of Iran's strategy of raising the stakes on the Gulf countries of their continued involvement in these regional conflicts, um, particularly the alliance with the United States.
And, um, obviously this is a slightly different circumstance because the, uh, the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudis goes back to twenty fifteen, so this is a preexisting condition, as the Pakistanis initially made clear regarding the, uh, you know, their, their obligations under the Mecca Defense Pact.
They initially said they wouldn't come in because this has been going on for quite a while and was therefore not covered by a new agreement.
Um, but that being said, the raising of the stakes, the ratcheting up of the stakes, I think is intended to raise the cost both domestically for the Saudis and as well in terms of their international, uh, their, their, the, the, the perception of Saudi Arabia on the global stage as a stable and safe, uh, country.
And essentially, you know, the, the Iranian strategy has been to hit dual use sites in the Gulf to undermine that perception, to undermine global confidence in these countries as, as safe harbors, as places where international trade and business can take place.
Uh, so the fact that this is going to result in the Americans entering, potentially in the Pakistanis and the, the, and the Turks also entering on the side of Saudi Arabia, as much as these, these will be reassuring noises for the Saudi government, if you zoom out, it's also deeply concerning because it means that the conflict is expanding and the region will be destabilized.
This is gonna have even more, um, dif-- like, deep consequences for the economies of these countries, for the, for the global financial markets, but also for, for international, uh, transit and travel.
And all of that undermines the impression that the Gulf region has cultivated for decades of a, of a safe and prosperous, uh, place to do business, to travel, to enjoy oneself, et cetera.
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