Yemen’s failure is a reflection of civil unrest
This week, a natural gas export plant in the Shabwa province of southern Yemen was shut down after being sieged by armed tribesmen. This latest setback after weeks of unrest in Yemen underscores a glaring truth of the Middle East’s poorest country: Yemen is a failed state. For years, many in both academic and popular discourse have decried Yemen as a failed state. This verdict has become more and more evident ever since the ousting of longtime autocrat and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The country has descended into chaos and instability, and the latest Saudi Arabian-led operation on March 26 against the Houthis, a group of Shiites who were oppressed under Saleh, further destabilizes the country and adds to the idea that Yemen as an autonomous country has failed.
In 2011, Saleh was swept away amid the fever of the Arab Spring. Many other dictators faced the same fate, and for a while it seemed as if Yemen was going to undergo a democratic makeover. Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Saleh’s vice president, took over, and rather than taking Yemen a step forward, the ingredients for a failed state began to come to a boil. Hadi and his government were seen as corrupt, and the Houthis began to mobilize to take control of the country. In Islam, there are two major sects — Sunni and Shiite. Yemen is mostly Sunni, while the Houthis are Shiite. Iran, which is also Shiite, began supporting the Houthi campaign, much to the displeasure of Sunni Saudi Arabia. That was the impetus for Saudi airstrikes and military operations last month against the Houthis. All the while, the United States has supported Yemen as a key base for anti-terrorism operations against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Though many point to the conflict between Houthis and Hadi’s regime as the cause of Yemen’s most recent woes, the reality is that years of oppression and stagnation under Saleh caused deeply rooted problems that have yet to be fully realized. South Yemen, formerly a separate country, was mostly comprised of Sunnis until the civil wars in the 1990s resulted in the unification of North and South Yemen, which transformed two religiously homogenous states into one religiously heterogeneous state.
Furthermore, the infrastructure of Yemen is decrepit at best. Schools, hospitals, roads and bridges are crumbling by the day. The natural gas plant shutdown affects the energy sector of Yemen’s economy. Despite being a small oil producer, Yemen has an economy that is 57 percent oil exports. The recent shutdown is the nail in the coffin of Yemen’s economy and spells more trouble for the embattled country. Additionally, there is an extreme water shortage, food is scarce, and military operations are wounding and killing far too many civilians. Yemeni society is oppressive, with egregious human rights violations, particularly in the treatment of women. Airstrikes have depleted the country of any sense of stability, and it is being torn apart by military operations and political strife. If Iraq is the poster child of failed states in the Middle East, Yemen, sadly, is the encore presentation. Much like in Afghanistan, deeply rooted tribal tensions and profound mistrust among rival groups are major barriers to building a stable country. Much like in Iraq, political drama and military actions place the country under deep distress, and a misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the dynamics and nuances of the parties involved create more tension and roadblocks to unity. In the Middle East, failed states have become far too common. The causes might be debated and argued, theories posited and rejected, but in today’s world, Yemen is the latest victim of a tragic bug in the Middle East.
Many around the world, particularly in the United States, view the Gulf States as despotic, dependent and extremely wealthy countries. They might not even know what the UAE stands for, but they know Dubai has turned into a synecdoche for the entire region. Though people recognize Dubai with all its wealth and exotic appeal, Yemen by contrast is the Middle East’s poorest country, and its government is in shambles. The country is poised to descend further into chaos, and there is a long and difficult road ahead if Yemen is to be rebuilt. The Houthis have a strong presence in the capital city of Sana’a but seldom find support elsewhere. A two-state solution, which is to say, reverting back to the pre-1990 unification, isn’t viable. The economic problems facing the country, particularly the extreme water shortage, make division into two nations problematic and frankly, unfeasible. Negotiations between the Houthis and the Hadi government in Aden must be made, and airstrikes must cease.
Athanasius Georgy is a sophomore majoring in economics. His column, “On the World Stage,” runs Thursdays.
I’ve got a novel idea. Let’s do nothing. Let the Muslims deal with their own
problems for a change. Let’s let countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait
with their endless ocean of money and Western-bought armaments figure it out
instead. Surely they – being practitioners of the religion of compassion and
peace – will step right up to the plate in our stead.
OK, you caught me there. You knew I was kidding! You knew what I know which
is that there is no answer to these Islamic cesspools. Whatever we do will be
discredited and if we do nothing then Syria and Yemen will become just another country in
the endless line of Hell on Earth Islamic countries.
We cannot save Muslims from themselves. It is like trying to save an alcoholic.
Until they are ready to abandon their religion – a religion that emphasizes
aggression and violence and sadism – anything we do will simply be a band-aid
on a gaping wound.
Let them go through their DTs on their own. Only then will they be ready for
our friendship and help, and only then will we find a way forward together as
friends.
Here’s a more novel idea: take ownership of your posts.
Arafat, you post across Disqus bringing your brand of truthiness. Well, I concede you must be the honest one for all your posts.
But you keep running away to post elsewhere and not taking your victory. So, here, take this reminder:
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!” Isaiah
So since you are so honest, you have no problem taking this oath: May the Lord deal justly between you and those who you call as liars, including myself, and condemn the one between us all who sows hate of others with their lies and distortions on all these Disqus posts. Amen.
I take that oath, do you?
Or do you acknowledge that your intent is to spread a hateful narrative intended to have someone act out on this inherent threat posed by these people?
Which is it? Are you honest or dishonest?
” In 2011, Saleh was swept away amid the fever of the Arab Spring. Many other dictators faced the same fate, and for a while it seemed as if Yemen was going to undergo a democratic makeover.”
++
This only seemed possible to those who do not understand that Islam and democracy are incompatible. Islam is firmly against all things that define democracies including religious freedoms and rights, individual freedoms and rights, freedom of the press (to question and/or criticize).
Why Athanasius cannot seem to grasp this is really quite remarkable.