Iran's policy towards the Houthis in Yemen

A Limited Return on a Modest Investment

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4034794
AutoresThomas Juneau (0000-0003-3924-6633, Assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs; University of Ottawa; Canada, autor de correspondencia)
Año2016
Volumen92
Número3
Páginas647-663
Fecha de publicación2016-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Affairs (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0020-5850 • E-ISSN: 1468-2346
EditorialOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/1468-2346.12599
OpenAlexW2345980393
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas49

For years, mounting instability had led many to predict the imminent collapse of Yemen. These forecasts became reality in 2014 as the country spiralled into civil war. The conflict pits an alliance of the Houthis, a northern socio-political movement that had been fighting the central government since 2004, alongside troops loyal to a former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, against supporters and allies of the government overthrown by the Houthis in early 2015. The war became regionalized in March 2015 when a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of ten mostly Arab states launched a campaign of air strikes against the Houthis. According to Saudi Arabia, the Houthis are an Iranian proxy; they therefore frame the war as an effort to counter Iranian influence. This article will argue, however, that the Houthis are not Iranian proxies; Tehran's influence in Yemen is marginal. Iran's support for the Houthis has increased in recent years, but it remains low and is far from enough to significantly impact the balance of internal forces in Yemen. Looking ahead, it is unlikely that Iran will emerge as an important player in Yemeni affairs. Iran's interests in Yemen are limited, while the constraints on its ability to project power in the country are unlikely to be lifted. Tehran saw with the rise of the Houthis a low cost opportunity to gain some leverage in Yemen. It is unwilling, however, to invest larger amounts of resources. There is, as a result, only limited potential for Iran to further penetrate Yemen

Alliance · Development economics · Economic history · Economics · Economy · Government (linguistics) · Leverage (statistics) · Political economy · Political instability · Political science · Politics · Proxy (statistics) · Spanish Civil War · History · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Socioeconomic Development in MENA