Houthi

Analysis December 15, 2025 29:27 MIN Yemen’s History of Political Alliances and Lessons for the Future By Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, and Tawfeek Al-Ganad Alliances are a common phenomenon in Yemen, deeply rooted in the country’s political life and social structures. Yemeni tribes, for example, often form alliances for protection and defense that are based more on mutual interests than on blood ties. This pattern extends into the political sphere, where Yemen has witnessed various types of political alliances during its modern history. This study examines past alliances among political actors in Yemen, from the declaration of political pluralism as a constitutional right following unification in May 1990 to 2017. Most of these alliances were temporary and tactical, often formed to confront common adversaries, and ended in dramatic ruptures. Despite their shortcomings, however, these alliances enriched Yemeni political life in several ways. For example,… Continue reading Main Publications December 11, 2025 03:03 MIN Energy Transition in Yemen: A Path to Justice and Sustainable Development By Abeer Al-Eryani, and Musaed Aklan Yemen’s energy sector is currently facing a severe crisis. For millions of Yemenis, accessing reliable electricity is a daily struggle, characterized by prolonged blackouts, limited fuel supplies, and deteriorating infrastructure, which in turn exacerbate the country's humanitarian conditions. This policy brief underscores the importance of a just and conflict-sensitive energy transition in Yemen, addressing the interconnected challenges of conflict, economic instability, and energy poverty. It emphasizes the urgent need for an energy transition that enhances energy access, promotes decarbonization, and supports peacebuilding and socioeconomic recovery. The brief outlines the current energy landscape in Yemen, identifies critical policy gaps, and highlights both top-down and grassroots opportunities for sustainable energy development. It acknowledges the significant challenges in the energy sector, including its… Continue reading Analysis October 19, 2025 10:10 MIN What Does the Gaza Ceasefire Mean for Yemen? By Abdulghani Al-Iryani, Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, and Hussam Radman A tenuous ceasefire has gone into effect in Gaza, halting two years of war that have resulted in the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians. As part of the first phase of a US-brokered agreement, surviving Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during its deadly October 7 incursion have been released, along with a number of Palestinian prisoners, and Israeli forces have begun a partial withdrawal from the strip. However, the deal remains extremely fragile. Past ceasefires have failed to hold, and there are already disagreements over the return of the dead and humanitarian access. Hamas, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to destroy, is already reasserting control in Gaza. The deal put forward by the US is intentionally… Continue reading Main Publications August 4, 2025 08:01 MIN Yemen International Forum 2025 Report The third Yemen International Forum (YIF III) took place in Amman from February 16 - 18, 2025, gathering more than 300 participants to discuss peace prospects and stability in Yemen. Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Yemen has been tested in myriad ways. Attacks on the Red Sea and the rising prominence of the Houthis within the “Axis of Resistance” have thrust Yemen into regional conflict, undermining hope for an end to its decade-long war. Since the last YIF held in the Hague in June 2023, where discussions centered on cautious optimism for a potential peace settlement, Yemen has undertaken a dramatic U-turn. Peace efforts have taken a backseat while international attention has increasingly turned… Continue reading Analysis July 22, 2025 10:14 MIN April-June 2025 The Bride of the Red Sea: A Century of Transformation in Hudaydah By Tawfeek Al-Ganad Hudaydah has long served as a battlefield for those seeking control over Yemen. Since the 15th century, various empires, including the Portuguese, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the British, have made both successful and unsuccessful attempts to dominate the region. A century after the Mutawakkalite Kingdom of Yemen, commonly referred to as the Imamate, first extended its authority over the region, Hudaydah continues to hold immense strategic importance. Since the outbreak of regional conflict after October 7, 2023, Hudaydah has been targeted by airstrikes from the United States, Britain, and Israel, which have destroyed key pillars of its economic power, particularly the ports of Hudaydah, Ras Issa, and Al-Salif. Nevertheless, Hudaydah remains the military and economic center of Yemen’s West… Continue reading Yemen Review section July 22, 2025 05:01 MIN April-June 2025 An Opportunity to Reset Yemeni-Iranian Relations By Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen Iran’s Axis of Resistance is on the ropes. The degrading of Hamas during the ongoing Gaza war, the recent Israeli-Iranian confrontation, the weakening of Hezbollah during Israel’s war in Lebanon, and the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria have significantly reshaped dynamics in the Middle East to the detriment of Tehran and its allies. There is one exception, however: the Houthis in Yemen. Despite Iran’s losses elsewhere, the Houthis continue to hold power in Yemen and appear largely unaffected by a year and a half of military action carried out by the US and Western allies, and by Israel. For many observers, this would make the Houthis a priority for continued Iranian support. While this argument holds some logic,… Continue reading Yemen Review section July 22, 2025 09:08 MIN April-June 2025 Israel’s Genocide in Gaza Destabilizes Yemen and the Region By Magnus Fitz The Middle East has been marked by escalating violence and deepening volatility since October 7, 2023. Hamas’ assault against Israel opened the door for the realization of long-standing Israeli ambitions of a reconfigured region, which has fanned the flames of instability in several countries. In Gaza, these ambitions have been propelled not merely by Western indifference but by direct abetment. In Yemen, instability has manifested in Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and against Israel, which has invited direct military action by some of the world’s great military powers. The sum of Israel’s wars–from Gaza and the West Bank to Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran–has been tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of deaths and immense destruction, sowing the seeds… Continue reading Yemen Review section July 22, 2025 14:34 MIN April-June 2025 Politics and Diplomacy — The Yemen Review, April-June 2025 By Casey Coombs On May 3, Yemen’s embattled Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak resigned after just over a year in office, following months of clashes with Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi, as well as other PLC and cabinet members. Finance Minister Salem bin Breik was immediately named as his replacement. Bin Mubarak said his resignation stemmed from his efforts to assert his constitutional authority to overhaul the cabinet, an endeavor which was stymied by the PLC. He clashed repeatedly with Al-Alimi over his attempt to appoint 12 new ministers and resisted pushes by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to place loyal deputies in ministries. On March 7, only three ministers attended a cabinet meeting called by Bin Mubarak at Al-Maashiq… Continue reading Editorial July 22, 2025 03:25 MIN April-June 2025 Yemenis Deserve Leaders Who Will Put Their Interests First Yemen’s ongoing economic collapse is a tragedy starring a myriad of actors, none of them innocent. The situation has become even more dire in recent weeks amid delays in anticipated financial support from Saudi Arabia for the government of recently-appointed Prime Minister Salem bin Breik, and as the Houthis create an even more repressive environment for humanitarian organizations, civil society groups, and financial institutions. As successive political and economic disasters feed into each other, it’s as if the government and the Houthis are competing over who can better fail the Yemeni people. Since the Saudi-sponsored, UN-backed truce officially ended in October 2022, hopes for a gradual return to economic normalcy, or at least steps toward recovery, have been repeatedly dashed.… Continue reading Analysis June 20, 2025 09:39 MIN The Israel-Iran War – Reaction from Sana’a Center Experts By Maged Al-Madhaji, Abdulghani Al-Iryani, Tawfeek Al-Ganad, and Osamah Al Rawhani The Middle East is undergoing profound shifts following the Israeli strikes on Iran. These developments have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the Islamic Republic, particularly influencing the situation in Yemen. The Houthi group (Ansar Allah) has emerged as the last effective stronghold of the so-called Axis of Resistance, especially after the weakening of its other pillars, most notably Hezbollah. Although the Houthis were quick to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran, the extent of their ability to support their allies beyond rhetoric remains uncertain. The Houthis announced the firing of ballistic missiles at Israel on June 15, with military spokesman Yahya Sarea stating that the group’s attacks were coordinated with Iran. However, a week into this escalation, Iran appears to be… Continue reading Analysis May 21, 2025 10:30 MIN Saudi Arabia’s New Approach Toward Yemen’s Northern Tribes By Adel Dashela Yemen has witnessed profound changes over the last decade as the country's political geography disintegrated and non-state actors rose to prominence. It is now a fragmented state, where “Yemeni tribes—especially in the northern provinces ... control large portions of the country’s territory and perform state-like functions.” With the collapse of state institutions, tribes have sought to become an alternative to state authorities in order to protect their members and material interests. In the words of political scientist Daniel Corstange, in some contexts, tribes have become the “second-best substitutes for an absent or weak state.” Historically, intertwined connections and unstable dynamics have characterized relationships between Saudi Arabia and these tribes. The relationship “has been subjected to significant shocks and external and… Continue reading Analysis April 28, 2025 05:16 MIN Yemen’s Parliament: A Legislative Authority in a Retirement Home By Tawfeek Al-Ganad Yemen’s parliament has come to resemble a retirement home. Elections for the legislature were last held 22 years ago on April 27, 2003. Since then, 60 Members of Parliament (MPs), or 20 percent, have died in office. The youngest sitting MP is now 47 years old, while many others have either lost their vitality and public presence to the passage of time or have passed away. More importantly, the body itself is inactive and unable to perform its constitutional duties. The mandate of Yemen’s parliament should have officially expired in April 2009. Article 65 of the Yemeni Constitution stipulates that “the term of the House of Representatives is six solar years starting from its first session. The President shall call… Continue reading