In the more assertive Saudi Arabia that’s emerging after the Arab Spring, war is no longer taboo as an instrument of policy and Washington’s approval isn’t required.

Once known for cautious diplomacy, the oil-rich kingdom is turning more frequently to hard power. The shift has been under way since unrest swept across the Arab world in 2011. It accelerated after the succession of King Salman in January, and the promotion of his son as defense chief. Since then, the Saudis have started an air war in Yemen against Shiite Muslim rebels they accuse of being tools of Iran.

“We are witnessing the first real attempt to see whether Saudi Arabia can become the new military and political superpower of the Arab world,” said David Ottaway, a senior scholar at the Wilson Center in Washington. “A younger generation of impatient Saudi hawks is coming to power that is fed up with the failure of the kingdom to project its military and political influence.”

… Without matching military prowess, though, it risks being “outclassed” by other regional powers, said James Dorsey, a senior fellow in international studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He cited Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Israel.