Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Strategy Has Fallen to Pieces
Saudi Arabia has spent years trying to build up its Yemeni allies against its main opponent, Ansar Allah. Ansar Allah’s sudden military offensive over the last few weeks shows that this project has been a failure, despite all the money spent on it.
When Saudi Arabia began intervening in Yemen’s civil war, its leaders expected to be able to impose their will on a much poorer neighbor. More than a decade later, blowback from their Yemeni opponents is causing major disruption to the Saudi economy. (Mohammed Mohammed / Xinhua via Getty Images)
Over the past few weeks, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Huthis, has launched an offensive and made big territorial gains. The latest turn in the Yemeni civil war could have major implications for the world economy, as it involves one of its most important trade routes through the Red Sea. It certainly poses a big challenge for Yemen’s neighbor Saudi Arabia.
Helen Lackner is a leading expert on the politics of Yemen and the author of several books about the country. She spoke to Jacobin about the background to the latest developments and what is likely to happen next. This is an edited transcript from Jacobin’s Long Reads podcast. You can listen to the interview here.
Daniel Finn
What was the impact of the military campaign against Ansar Allah by the United States and Israel, along with the other steps taken by the Trump administration to impose new sanctions on Yemen?
Helen Lackner
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