Yemen: From Civil War to World War?

Nov 29, 2023

This podcast explores the current state of Yemen, from civil war to world war, and its implications for the Middle East. It discusses the intervention of Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies in the Yemen civil war, the Iranian tactic of deliberately allowing their own civilians to be targeted, the culture of mistrust within the GCC and among anti-Houthi forces, the oppressive nature of the Iranian regime, Houthis, and Hezbollah in Yemen, the corruption surrounding UN aid in Yemen, and China's interest and lobbying efforts in the region.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Intervention in the Yemen Civil War

02:34 • 9min

The Iranian Tactic of Mashrwah Shahid and Factional Dynamics in Yemen

12:00 • 3min

Mistrust Among Anti-Houthi Forces and Within GCC

15:19 • 13min

Comparing the Oppressive Nature of Iranian Regime, Houthis, and Hezbollah in Yemen

28:31 • 4min

The Corruption Surrounding UN Aid in Yemen

32:22 • 10min

China's Interest in a Port in Saudi Arabia and the Challenges

42:06 • 2min

China's Lobbying Efforts in Yemen

43:55 • 20min

The state of Yemen in 2023 is precarious. After the Arab Spring revolution descended into civil war, the Houthis have cemented their power over large swathes of Northern Yemen, while the traditional ruling parties have fractured and, in many cases, disintegrated. In this final episode of our mammoth exploration of the history of Yemen - and indeed season 4 of Conflicted - we bring things up to the modern day, stepping back from historical narrative to try and make sense of what has happened and what it means for the country and the region.

Over the course of this season, we've taken listeners through all the historical antecedents to modern Salafi Jihadism from Ahmad Bin Hanbal in the eighth century to Sayyid Qutb in the 1960s. We've looked at the Muslim Brotherhood, President Erdogan of Turkey, Iran, and their proxies across the region like Hezbollah. And now, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues, we can see so many of the themes and ideas that we've talked about this series playing out in real time.

This final episode, which sees us joined for the final time by Yemeni political activist Baraa Shaiban, attempts to make sense of current events in Yemen and beyond in the context of

Salafi and Shia jihadism. We ask what the future holds for the Middle East, and what we can learn from the tumultuous history of the region as the world attempts to bring peace to the geopolitical situation of today.

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