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A historic opportunity for peace in Yemen
Houthi soldiers walk past the the U.S. embassy s gate following a demonstration against the United States over its decision to designate the Houthis a foreign terrorist organisation, in Sanaa, Yemen January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Joe Biden administration came into office primed to change directions in the Gulf, with a particular focus on ending the war in Yemen. Despite being part of the Barack Obama administration that greenlit and supported the Arab coalition’s military intervention in Yemen in 2015, President Biden changed course by ending US support of the coalition’s intervention and giving Yemen top priority partly due to the pressure applied by the progressive wing of the Democratic party to take the country’s humanitarian plight seriously.
Iran must not be allowed to win the nasty war in Yemen
Iran must not be allowed to win the nasty war in Yemen
Allowing legitimate moral qualms regarding the war s conduct to translate into Iranian victory would have dangerous and far-reaching strategic consequences.
(February 11, 2021 / JISS) Since September 2014, Yemen has been in the throes of a brutal civil war. The Iranian-backed Houthi uprising seeks to take over the country (and indeed it controls the capital, Sana’a, and almost all northern Yemen). The legitimate government of ‘Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi holds on to much of the south but now also faces a southern separatist rebellion in Aden and challenges from forces affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Qaeda.
Modern Diplomacy
Published 2 months ago
Saudi Arabia’s combustible mix of religion, nationalism, and tradition as well as contradictions in the kingdom’s projection of itself as a driver of moderate Islam and major voice in combatting discrimination and racism spark heated debate on social media.
How the mix plays out will ultimately spotlight the outcome of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to inject a significant dose of nationalism in a Saudi identity that historically has been heavily shaped by religion.
The contours of public engagement are evident in the contrast between passionate debates over issues such as a proposal to remove the sword from the Saudi flag and discussions of what constitutes Muslim holy land and the status of Jerusalem as Islam’s third-holiest city as opposed to far more cautious social media responses to changes in US policy as the Biden administration settles into office.