Introduction
One of the recent conflicts that led to the mass loss of life stemmed from a deliberate provocation. The struggles of the people of Yemen were exploited by different parties in pursuit of their goals. While internal political turmoil played a role in this event and local factors affected its likelihood, external influences were vital to its occurrence. Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and terrorists had a stake in this power struggle, causing Yemen to become one of the major war zones in the previous decade.
Analysis of the Yemeni Civil War
The region was experiencing hardships at that time, which caused unrest among local groups. The legitimate government was viewed negatively for its inaction (Kaptan, 2021). This instability only continued to grow from then on. Authoritarian forces in Yemen failed to prevent the widening power gap between local groups competing to control the nation (Simon et al., 2019). Other parties seized the opportunity.
This factor led to the Houthis invading the country’s capital. The Houthis, backed by the Iranian government, attempted to seize power by force (Simon et al., 2019). The weapons provided by the Iranians served as a primary threat to Yemen’s attempts to remain whole. The fragmentation allowed other terrorist groups to proceed with their plans to decentralize the attention of the defendants (Albasoos & Al Hinai, 2020).
Thus, it was challenging to stop the civil war at its root. Terrorist organizations, specifically, the part of Al Qaeda that was the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that operated on the nation’s territory, also became active participants in the conflict (Simon et al., 2019). This notion further worsened living conditions and made it challenging to repel the attacks.
In turn, the official Yemeni government had a different set of supporters. Saudi Arabia aided local authorities, yet its assistance was not met with the expected relief (Kaptan, 2021). Its connection to yet another stakeholder influenced views on its involvement in this event. The United States provided military technologies to Saudi Arabia, which, in turn, were utilized during this conflict (Kaptan, 2021). This factor may have led to the perception of Yemen as a puppet for Western supporters, especially since both Iran and Houthis considered the U.S. as their primary antagonists.
This issue must be resolved to restore peace in Yemen, as locals are distrustful of those who attempt to help them. People have been critical of this alliance, which made it impossible for Saudis to “win the hearts and minds” of Yemeni communities (Kaptan, 2021, p. 61). Thus, the opposing powers clashed across the region, leaving civilians to fend for themselves. The international community must focus on alleviating the burden of the people of Yemen before any positive change can be achieved in its politics.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Yemeni Civil War was a disastrous political event that was perpetrated by entities that saw weakness in the country’s existing government structure and abused it successfully. Several entities affected the causes of this conflict through their actions, either by supporting the groups that attempted to destabilize Yemen or by assisting it. Furthermore, ISIS tried to take control of a portion of the land and expand its influence. While Saudi Arabia, with United States-provided technologies, supported the official government, it only added fuel to the existing hostilities. Iran and Houthis saw this as an attempt by Western countries to intervene in their region’s politics. The humanitarian crisis that ensued led to many deaths of local inhabitants, making it vital for others to comprehend who the perpetrators of the conflict were.
References
Albasoos, H., & Al Hinai, B. (2020). Understanding the root causes of the conflict in Yemen. Bussecon Review of Social Sciences, 2(2), 14-20.
Kaptan, D. (2021). The unending war in Yemen. Contemporary Challenges: The Global Crime, Justice and Security Journal, 2, 55-79.
Simon, D. W., Romance, J., & Riemer, N. (2019). The challenge of politics: An introduction to political science (6th ed.). CQ Press.