Houthis And The Central Government

HOUTHIS AND THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

Name

Course

Date

HOUTHIS AND THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

Introduction

The Houthi movement was formed during the 1990s as a revivalist movement for youths

and with the aim of defending Zaidism religious traditions. The movement had evolved into a

military insurgency that was stubborn and deeply rooted in tribal politics, especially in the

governance of Saada by 2000s. Its objective changed and became more oriented towards

defending itself and its allies against the military, which was being led by President Abdullah

Saleh. The group managed to put pressure on Hadi till he resigned under the influence of Ansar

Allah. Their main areas of interest were respect for diversity, strengthening the states towards

becoming democratic, as well as, regional autonomy

. The group used violent military

campaigns and defeated military units that were allied to Islah, particularly taking control of

Sanaa in 2014.

Problem and thesis statement

The movement gained control of a greater part of Northern Territory in Yemen in 2015

Currently, Houthi resists the military intervention, which is Saudi-led in Yemen since it claims to

be seeking to restore to the power of the Yemeni government that was once recognized across

nations. As a result of the resistance, some nations such as Australia and Saudi Arabia have

recognized the Houthi as a terrorist organization.

Based the ongoing conflicts between the Houthi and Yemen’s central government, there

is the danger that war will always ensue. Thus, the country may remain to be the poorest in the

Schmitz 2017

Arab world, with much impact being felt in the northern region of Saada province, which is the

stronghold for Houthi. As the war escalates, negative consequences are witnessed. For instance,

many civilian casualties have been recorded while many Yemenis have been displaced thus,

forcing them to seek for relief assistance such as food and shelter.

The people, who are left behind live in unfavorable conditions, especially when they need

medical assistance

. Therefore, this paper will argue that given that many foreign countries have

become involved in the war, they should take up the role of outlining a forward path for both the

central government and the Houthis. They should bring in unifying factors such that each party

backs off from extreme positions that it holds instead of trying to strengthen one side by

supporting it with military assistance.

Literature review

According to various reports, several foreign nations are involved in the ongoing war in

Yemen between the central government and Houthi. Al Jazeera reports that Saudi Arabia created

a coalition comprising of Arab states with a sole aim of helping Yemen government to defeat the

Houthi back in 2015

. Currently, the coalition has expanded to encompass nations such as

Senegal, Sudan, Egypt, Bahrain, United Arabs Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. Some of the

countries that have been involved in the coalition have gone to the extent of sending their troops

to Yemen, while the rest have conducted air strikes. Aljazeera also reports that the government

of the United States launches regular airstrikes on Islamic states and al-Qaeda, as well as, targets

Yemen. On the other hand, Iran plays a role in arming the Houthi, as well as, shipping arms to

Al Jazeera 2017

Yemen to support the Houthi. Iran also has plans to send military advisers to offer support to the

Houthi.

Erlich also identifies Qatar as a major player in the ongoing Yemen crisis

. However, its

role is portrayed in a negative perspective because it aims at offering military support to Yemen.

The nation entered into a Pentagon deal where it would offer Apache helicopters worth $11

billion, as well as, sophisticated missiles all to be used to help Yemen’s central government to

overcome the Houthi. Researchers have refuted the idea that the tension is religion in Yemen.

Instead, they have stood their ground that the war is political rather than being sectarian. Thus,

Qatar supports the central government of Yemen with the hope that the rebel leaders and the

government will come up with a solution to their political differences, which will ultimately

reduce sectarian tensions.

Ramani explored the role that China plays in the crisis in Yemen. He found that China

offers different kinds of assistance

. The important aspect is that it is against the attempt by

Houthi rebels to create a new form of government in the already conquered territory, which is

Sanaa. This means that China has to support the central government to strengthen its position in

fighting the Houthi. As such, the nation has sold weapons to Saudi Arabia to assist the

government in intervention attempts to defeat the rebels effectively. However, China’s support

for Yemen’s government is economically motivated.

For example, Ramani notes that China would reap huge economic benefits if hostilities in

Yemen cease

. Beijing would be in a better position to access Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which

Erlich 2017

Ramani 2017

connects the Middle East to the Horn of Africa. Therefore, China hopes to achieve its objective

to expand ‘One Belt, One Road to Saudi Arabia’ thus, giving China an opportunity to actively

take part in trading seaborne oil across the straits of Yemen’s maritime with such a connection.

Analysis

Based on the literature review, the nations analyzed do not take part in offering a solution

to the tension between the central government and the rebellious Houthi. All the involved foreign

nations only support one of the conflict sides, which they believe has similar interests to them.

Based on the positive side, they offer humanitarian assistance to the affected civilians, but this is

more of a reactive approach. The nations would be considered of much help if they adopted a

proactive measure to address the crisis between the conflicting parties in Yemen. They perpetrate

more war by offering military and weapons assistance to either the government or the Houthi.

This is because each side of the conflicting parties feels encouraged to test the weapons that it

obtains and proves that the assistance being accorded to it is worth. As such, the parties involved

in the Yemen crisis would continue fighting each other rather than trying to come together and

negotiate to arrive at an amicable solution.

Therefore, foreign nations can play a better role in addressing the crisis in Yemen. For

example, they can work together with the conflicting parties to decide who needs to exit the

equation. They can do this by evaluating the current situation and the history, which culminated

in the crisis thus, deciding the party that should reconsider its stand between the Houthi and the

central government. The nations can also have sittings with leaders of each side and evaluate the

impacts that their leadership has, especially in perpetrating the conflict. With such negotiations,

it can also be possible to determine whether any other approaches can be used to fulfill the

requirements of the rebel. This can be done by evaluating the reasons behind their rebellion and

whether an action to correct some of them will make the other party satisfied and quit the

conflict or not.

According to Al Jazeera, the Zaydis, who are the main supporters of the Houthi, should

understand that Iran is an ineffective and reliable ally

. This is because its idea of meddling with

them was just a way of frustrating United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and further Gulf estates.

With such an understanding, fighting parties in Yemen will realize that the war may not even end

soon if they keep depending on foreign nations since these nations will be expediting their

differences through supporting different sides in Yemen.

Conclusion

All parties involved in the Yemen crisis should adopt talks to address the conflict. It

seems that military solutions that are offered by foreign nations will only exacerbate the situation

with each side trying to prove that it is stronger than the other. Furthermore, some of the

assisting nations are only involved because they want to frustrate a certain nation by supporting

one side of the conflict. It would seem inappropriate that the nations, which come forward to

offer humanitarian assistance to the affected civilians in Yemen also perpetrate the violence by

offering military assistance. There is a high possibility that the peace talks will not yield any

effective solution to the ongoing conflict between Houthis and the central government of Yemen.

This is because the government may be unwilling to give the Houthis substantial power share

However, with the intervention of the foreign nations, it is worth giving the peace talks a try.

Al Jazeera 2017

Aftandilian 2017

References

Aftandilian, Gregory. "The Yemen Conflict and Its Elusive Political Solutionacw."

Arabcenterdc.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Al Jazeera. "Key Facts About The War In Yemen." Aljazeera.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Dec.

2017.

Erlich, Reese. "The Struggle For Power In Yemen Continues, And Qatar Is Playing A Key

Role." Public Radio International. N.p., 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.

Ramani, Samuel. "China's Role In The Yemen Crisis." The Diplomat. N.p., 2017. Web. 14 Dec.

2017.

Schmitz, Charles. "The Rise Of Yemen's Houthi Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 2017. Web. 14 Dec.

2017.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."