This briefing discussed the dramatically changing dynamics in Yemen’s civil war. Last month, Yemen emerged as a focal point of rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement backed by the UAE, has disbanded in recent weeks, following fierce clashes with Saudi-backed forces.
This briefing featured Fatima Abo Alasrar, a Middle East Institute Affiliate and Director of Policy and Research at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies. We will also be joined by F. Gregory Gause III, Associate Fellow at MEI and author of three books focused on the Persian Gulf.
Our experts discussed the political, security, and socio-economic shifts redrawing Yemen’s internal situation; the UAE-Saudi rivalry and its implications for the war-torn country; the consequences of the cracks in the anti-Houthi coalition; how groups like the Houthis and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) may exploit this situation; and the chances of success for an intra-Yemeni dialogue. Finally, the briefing will examine what all this means for regional stability.
