Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon

by Barak A. Salmoni, Bryce Loidolt, Madeleine Wells

For nearly six years, the government of Yemen has conducted military operations north of the capital against groups of its citizens known as 'Huthis.' In spite of using all means at its disposal, the government has been unable to subdue the Huthi movement. This book presents an in-depth look at the conflict in all its aspects. The authors detail the various stages of the conflict and map out its possible future trajectories.

410 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2010

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is as topical as today’s newscast. A few weeks ago Huthi rebels seized control of much of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen including the presidential compound and placed the president under house arrest. Not surprisingly President Hadi resigned, the already chaotic government of Yemen collapsed and Huthi tribal leaders seized control of the capital. Their official slogan is “Death to America, death to Israel, damnation to the Jews,” but they are enemies of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has attacked them with car bombs and suicide attacks. The United States has operated in Yemen with the permission of the last government, killing some Al Qaeda leaders with missiles fired from drones but it is the Huthis who have been battling AQAP on the streets of Sana’a. Yemeni politics are a confusing and deadly labyrinth difficult to understand but “Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon” goes a long way towards giving us the necessary background to understand how this strategic and inhospitable place affects the rest of the Middle East and is a pivot in the so-called war on terror. The authors spent years in firsthand research in Huthi areas of northern Yemen, immersed themselves in sources and research in several languages (mainly French, Arabic and English) and probably know as much as anyone about Yemen and the restive tribes within it.

The book is exceptionally comprehensive; the authors discuss and to a great extent explain that while there are Sunni/Shia religious divisions in Yemen, tribal identity and the collective honor of the tribal group take precedence over any other claim to authority. They show how the Yemen government attacks on Huthi had disastrous unintended consequences of provoking resistance among non-targeted people and provoking rebellion among non-Huthi people. U.S weapons and funds to combat Al Qaeda have been used by both the Saleh government and its now deposed successor against the regime’s local enemies while allowing the AQAP to operate against international targets unmolested.

The authors are academics whose target audience includes policy makers and think tank experts as well as other scholars but whose work can be usefully read by anyone with a bit of knowledge and a strong interest in the background to conflict in the Arab world.