Article Title: Yemen in Crisis
Author: Zachary Laub
Date Published: April 19th, 2016
www.cfr.org/yemen/yemen-crisis/p36488
Summary of Article:
Yemen is currently facing one of the biggest politcal criseses in the country's history. The government has been overthrown by a Shia group called Houthis. This has led to a counteroffensive led by Saudi Arabia that has devastated the country's population which was already suffering from heavy poverty before the fighting began. Along with the conflict between Houthis and Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda has also gained territory along the coast of Yemen. The country is now facing a similar situation to that of Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq and is on the brink of famine. The reason why Saudi Arabia is leading the fight against Houthis is because Iran is supporting them. This has become a problem for the UN which has tried to stop the fighting. The biggest challenge for the country will be the organization of power and corruption as Yemen was the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the start of the conflict.
Observations/Thoughts on Article
It is very depressing to think how a country in the year 2016 still has so many human rights violations and such a high rate of poverty. As I see the pictures of devastation Saudi airstrikes have done on the population, I feel sad to see people not be able to enjoy their lives because of political instability and corruption. It is interesting to see that this conflict is also influenced by religion along with politics. Yemen supports the Houthis group because they practice Shia Islam while Saudi Arabia practice Sunni Islam. The differences in the branches of the religions has resulted in the conflict within the country on which branch of Islam should have the most influence on the government. Even though it is not mentioned in the article, I predict that ISIS also has some impact in the fighting. The instability in the country is the perfect oppurtunity for opperatives to sneak in and take territory. Perhaps ISIS is fighting with Al-Qaeda for land on the coast. Overall, the situation in Yemen has become very desperate, and I can only hope that the conflict with end very soon.
How is the Article Important to Politics?
The current civil war in Yemen is very important as it will determine who has political power in Yemen. Yemen has always faced poverty due to the corruption of its government. The civil war will determine if the same government will be reinstated or if a new government that could be equally or even more corrupt that the original one takes power. It will also influence the religion of the country as Yemen practices Sharia Law. The conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims will determine which branch of Islam will have the most influence for the government of Yemen. The continuing civil war has left Yemen with no true government and destruction on the infrastructure as well. When a government will take power, it will have to deal with many problems if it wants to improve Yemen's image to the rest of the world.
Author: Zachary Laub
Date Published: April 19th, 2016
www.cfr.org/yemen/yemen-crisis/p36488
Summary of Article:
Yemen is currently facing one of the biggest politcal criseses in the country's history. The government has been overthrown by a Shia group called Houthis. This has led to a counteroffensive led by Saudi Arabia that has devastated the country's population which was already suffering from heavy poverty before the fighting began. Along with the conflict between Houthis and Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda has also gained territory along the coast of Yemen. The country is now facing a similar situation to that of Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq and is on the brink of famine. The reason why Saudi Arabia is leading the fight against Houthis is because Iran is supporting them. This has become a problem for the UN which has tried to stop the fighting. The biggest challenge for the country will be the organization of power and corruption as Yemen was the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the start of the conflict.
Observations/Thoughts on Article
It is very depressing to think how a country in the year 2016 still has so many human rights violations and such a high rate of poverty. As I see the pictures of devastation Saudi airstrikes have done on the population, I feel sad to see people not be able to enjoy their lives because of political instability and corruption. It is interesting to see that this conflict is also influenced by religion along with politics. Yemen supports the Houthis group because they practice Shia Islam while Saudi Arabia practice Sunni Islam. The differences in the branches of the religions has resulted in the conflict within the country on which branch of Islam should have the most influence on the government. Even though it is not mentioned in the article, I predict that ISIS also has some impact in the fighting. The instability in the country is the perfect oppurtunity for opperatives to sneak in and take territory. Perhaps ISIS is fighting with Al-Qaeda for land on the coast. Overall, the situation in Yemen has become very desperate, and I can only hope that the conflict with end very soon.
How is the Article Important to Politics?
The current civil war in Yemen is very important as it will determine who has political power in Yemen. Yemen has always faced poverty due to the corruption of its government. The civil war will determine if the same government will be reinstated or if a new government that could be equally or even more corrupt that the original one takes power. It will also influence the religion of the country as Yemen practices Sharia Law. The conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims will determine which branch of Islam will have the most influence for the government of Yemen. The continuing civil war has left Yemen with no true government and destruction on the infrastructure as well. When a government will take power, it will have to deal with many problems if it wants to improve Yemen's image to the rest of the world.