Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could once pose as(自居为；冒充) oases of stability. Now the two Gulf powers are under siege(处于围攻之中；四面楚歌). A hostile Iran has a chokehold(扼制；掐脖子) over the Strait of Hormuz(霍尔木兹海峡：全球石油运输咽喉), through which much of their commerce flows. The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia in Yemen, are lobbing missiles at Saudi airports and pipelines, disrupting trade and travel, and threatening Bab al-Mandab, another vital waterway.(也门境内受伊朗支持的胡塞武装正向沙特机场和输油管道发射导弹，扰乱贸易与旅行，并威胁另一条重要水道曼德海峡。) America, once the Gulf states’ most reliable ally, is now less willing to guarantee their security, leaving both countries exposed.
沙特阿拉伯与阿联酋曾一度以稳定绿洲自居。如今，这两个海湾强国却四面受敌。敌对的伊朗扼守着霍尔木兹海峡，两国的大部分贸易都要经过这里。也门境内受伊朗支持的胡塞武装正向沙特机场和输油管道发射导弹，扰乱贸易与旅行，并威胁另一条重要水道曼德海峡。美国曾是海湾国家最可靠的盟友，如今却不太愿意保障它们的安全，使两国暴露于风险之中。
Given the scale of the crisis(鉴于危机的规模), you might think the Saudis and Emiratis would be marshalling(调集；集结) their resources to deal with the problems close to home. Instead, they are tussling(争夺；扭打) for influence farther afield(在更远的地方), and recklessly inflaming(激化；煽动) some of the worst wars in the world.
鉴于危机的规模，你或许以为沙特和阿联酋会调集资源应对家门口的问题。然而，它们却在更远的地方争夺影响力，肆无忌惮地激化世界上一些最惨烈的战争。
The conflicts on either side of the Red Sea have complex causes. The Emiratis and Saudis did not start them, and are not the only foreign powers meddling(插手；干预),but they are making them bloodier and harder to end. This is clearest in Sudan, where a mass-raping genocidal(种族灭绝的) militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)(快速支援部队：苏丹准军事组织), is fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country. So vile are the RSF that they hunt down and kill doctors, since any doctor can testify to their crimes.(RSF 极其残暴，甚至追捕并杀害医生，因为任何医生都能指证其罪行。) Yet the Emiratis arm and support the RSF. (They deny it.) The Saudis back(支持) the somewhat less brutal regular army.
红海两岸的冲突成因复杂。阿联酋和沙特并非始作俑者，也不是唯一插手的外国势力，但它们正让这些冲突更加血腥、更难收场。苏丹的情况最为明显：一支大规模强奸、实施种族灭绝的民兵组织“快速支援部队”（RSF）正与苏丹军队争夺国家控制权。RSF 极其残暴，甚至追捕并杀害医生，因为任何医生都能指证其罪行。然而阿联酋却武装并支持 RSF。（阿联酋对此予以否认。）沙特则支持相对不那么残暴的正规军。