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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 December 10, 2025 07:55 MIN China’s Growing Role in the Yemen Conflict By Aseel Saraih China is emerging as a significant external player in Yemen, influencing both the country's internal dynamics and the broader regional landscape. During a meeting with Saudi and Iranian officials on December 9, Beijing reiterated its support for a UN-backed political solution to the conflict. However, despite its official position as a proponent of peace and non-intervention, an increasing number of intelligence reports and geopolitical analyses suggest that China is providing indirect support to the Houthis (Ansar Allah) through intermediaries like Iran. This support, including dual-use technology such as missile and drone components, as well as satellite imagery, has arguably not only bolstered the Houthis' military capabilities but also deepened the imbalance between the group and its opponents in Yemen’s internationally… Continue reading Yemen Review section October 28, 2025 10:04 MIN July-September 2025 Politics and Diplomacy — The Yemen Review, July-September 2025 By Casey Coombs Following women-led demonstrations in Aden and Taiz in May and June, widespread protests erupted in Hadramawt’s capital, Mukalla, on July 28, leading to the storming of a local authority building and the Munawwira electricity plant. The unrest was sparked by severe power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day. Protesters blocked streets, and shops were closed as Hadrami Elite forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds. The Mukalla People and Youth Escalation Committee, which organized the protests, accused Hadramawt Governor Mabkhout bin Madi of corruption and marginalizing locals, demanding his removal under slogans such as “No oil without Hadramawt rights.” The Hadramawt Security Committee, led by Bin Madi, denied reports of casualties during the unrest and blamed “malicious actors”… Continue reading Analysis October 28, 2025 05:10 MIN July-September 2025 Calls for Recognizing Somaliland and the Implications for Yemen By Ahmed Al-Ahssab There have been growing signals of possible international recognition of the Republic of Somaliland. Former British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson alluded to the possibility of US President Donald Trump recognizing Somaliland’s independence in November 2024. His remarks coincided with favorable positions expressed by US officials who had worked with Trump, such as Peter Pham and Tibor Nagy, as well as moves by American lawmakers. The president of Somaliland has also predicted that his country will soon secure its first formal recognition of independence, possibly within the coming year. A former British colony, Somaliland united with what was known as Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic in 1960. Following the collapse of the central government in 1991, Somaliland declared 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 Analysis August 19, 2025 06:19 MIN Rial Surges Under Revitalized Central Bank By Sana’a Center Economic Unit The Yemeni rial has seen a dramatic recovery since late July, appreciating by over 44 percent after months of hemorrhaging value. Its sudden rise is the result of a multi-pronged approach led by the government-run Central Bank of Yemen in Aden (CBY-Aden). Key measures have included curbing speculation and currency manipulation, institutionalizing import financing, and mandating the exclusive use of the rial in domestic transactions. These reforms received unprecedented political backing from the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the government, and local authorities, a pivotal shift in combating the systemic weaknesses that have long undermined the stability of the currency. By mid-July, the new Yemeni rial, which circulates in government-controlled areas, had tumbled to YR2,900 per US$1, its worst collapse since… Continue reading Main Publications August 11, 2025 01:35 MIN Unlocking Climate Finance for Fragile States: The Case of Yemen By Musaed Aklan, and Sahar Mohammed Yemen is vulnerable to climate change and affected by ongoing conflict, facing worsening environmental crises such as water scarcity, degradation of arable land, and an increasing frequency of extreme weather events. The country’s capacity to address the impact of climate change is severely hampered by limited access to international climate finance. Obstacles include the absence of clear criteria for fund distribution, bureaucratic complexities that exceed local institutional capacity, an emphasis on mitigation over adaptation measures, and a preference for providing loans over grants. Fragmented governance and a decade-long climate data gap further undermine the country’s eligibility for funding. Yemen lacks accredited national institutions capable of directly accessing climate funds, which forces it to rely on international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). This… 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 Analysis July 22, 2025 09:33 MIN April-June 2025 The Narrative Battle of the Iran-Israel War By Salah Ali Salah The 12-day military confrontation between Israel, the US, and Iran has come to a halt. This was no ordinary exchange of fire; all parties employed their most advanced military capabilities, and both Iran and Israel suffered significant casualties, in addition to material and, perhaps more importantly, psychological losses. After days of a relentless Israeli air campaign, the conflict’s turning point came with the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities using B-2 strategic bombers. In turn, Tehran responded by striking the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar – an attack that caused no actual damage but was instead a symbolic gesture, aimed at saving face rather than intended to inflict harm. US President Donald Trump announced the cessation of hostilities shortly thereafter.… 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