Yemen was for centuries the centre of civilization and wealth on the Arabian Peninsula whose cities brimmed with all sorts of goods and provided the major link between the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean world. Today, it has been devastated by a war between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement. Tens of thousands have been killed and injured since March 2015. The conflict has its roots in the failure of the political transition that forced Saleh, to hand over power to Mr Hadi, his deputy, in Nov 2011. The Houthi movement took advantage of the new president's weakness by taking control of their northern heartland and disillusioned with the transition, many ordinary Yemenis-including Sunnis-supported the Houthis and entered the capital, Sanaa. Alarmed by the rise of a group they believed to be backed militarily by Iran, Sunni Arab states began an air campaign aimed at restoring Mr Hadi's government, which believes the solution to Yemen's 2½ year-old civil war will likely come through military rather than political means. Other writers believe the route to sustained stability requires active engagement of all stakeholders in the conflict and a complete abandonment of the 'no negotiations' stance that has all too often plagued the conflict. The UN must initiate an immediate ceasefire and start the peace negotiations in a multilateral context in order to establish an inclusive government in the war-torn country. The conflict in Yemen can be resolved. A key move to this end involves Western countries ending their support of the Saudi military intervention, and also increased pressure on the Saudi monarchy to understand the necessity of change in the country. Riyadh must accept the fact that Yemen cannot return to its pre-Arab spring form and reality. It is necessary to help foster a Yemeni state with sufficient legitimacy to permit a sustained rebuilding process. An inclusive regional agreement may be the best path to do so because Yemeni leaders do not trust one another. Of course, regional leaders do not agree either, but there may be no other path to peace. Most observers agree that there is no military solution to the conflict. If there is no military solution, there appears to be no peaceful solution either. A regional settlement that includes Russia and Iran on the side of the Houthis and Saleh, and the US and Gulf states on the Hadi side, is one way to give enough confidence to local actors to the effect that peace is possible. The only region in the world without a security framework must at long last set about the task of creating one that can give due consideration to harmonising the mandate of the regional security framework with the UN Charter, while ensuring that the framework has enough teeth to thwart aggression and react to security threats against its members.
Indeed, the frustration for the well-meaning international humanitarian community is that the Yemeni peace suggests itself seems within reach only to elude and appears readily practicable only to resist realisation. It submits itself, seems within grasp only to elude, and appears readily doable only to resist fulfilment (Costantinos, 2016) Abstract
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The Middle East Impasse - Human & Political Cost of the Faustian Gulf Armageddon RL Vol XI No XXXI, CXXIV, MMXVII.pdf
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