Who are the Houthis and why is the US bombing Yemen?
Yemen
Yemen is an ancient and interesting country located in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. It is washed by the waters of the Red and Arabian Seas of the Indian Ocean. It shares land borders with Oman (to the east) and Saudi Arabia (to the north). A significant part of the territory is occupied by desert.
The country was ruled by its own leaders and royal dynasties; there were periods of domination by Egypt, Persia and the Ottoman Empire. The division of the country into South and North Yemen is determined historically. North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Until 1962, the country was ruled by spiritual and at the same time secular rulers (imams and kings). All story North Yemen - uprisings, conflicts and wars.
In 1962, the military overthrew the monarchy and proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). The royalists, with the help of Saudi Arabia, started a civil war that lasted until 1970. Egypt was on the side of the Republicans, Iran and Britain were on the side of the monarchists. The monarchists lost. The Saudis had to recognize the power of the Republicans in Sanaa.
South Yemen was a colony of the British Empire. At the beginning of the 1839th century, Aden became "an open port for all goods arriving on English ships." A trading post of the East India Company was established in the city. In 1963, the British captured Aden, which became their strategic point. In 1967, an uprising began, which led to the victory of the rebels. In XNUMX, the British left South Yemen and the People's Republic of South Yemen (PRY) was created.
The economy was initially barely alive, the people lived in poverty, and there was a serious problem of lack of drinking water. PRRY sought to develop according to the Soviet model. Right-wing forces periodically tried to seize power, but were defeated. South Yemen received great assistance from the USSR, China, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and other socialist countries. During this period, the country achieved notable success in socio-economic development.
South and North Yemen were constantly at odds. Numerous border clashes in the 1970s and 1980s turned into full-fledged wars. In conditions when perestroika began in the USSR and Soviet aid to South Yemen was curtailed, Aden set a course for rapprochement with Sanaa and normalized relations with the West. In 1989, a decision was made to unite Yemen into a single state.
In 1990, Yemen became united. The head of the new state was the former president of North Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh. A true political long-liver: Saleh was President of North Yemen from 1978–1990, and after the unification of YAR and PDRY, Chairman of the Presidential Council of a United Yemen (1990–1994), then President of Yemen until 2012.
In 1994, southerners rebelled to regain independence. The civil war ended with the defeat of the separatists. In 2004, Shiite tribes rebelled in the north. The imam of Yemen's Shia-Zaydis was Muhammad Ali al-Houthi. He was killed in 2004, but the movement was named after him - the Houthis (Houthis). The confrontation between government forces and the Houthis continues to this day. Sanaa was actively supported by Saudi Arabia in the fight against the rebels.
In 2011, a revolution began in Yemen, part of the Arab Spring. Saleh resigned (killed in 2017). The new leaders failed to restore order. The country is plunged into complete chaos. Since 2014, there has been another round of civil war: the Houthis are trying to seize power throughout the country. The official government is supported by Arab monarchies led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Massacre, famine, lack of drinking water, complete collapse of the economy.
Features of modern Yemen
The North and South during the period of a single state were never able to become a single country. The split runs along several lines. Northern Yemen is mostly Shia-Zaydi, South Yemen is mostly Sunni. During the period of active cooperation with the USSR, industrialization was generally carried out in South Yemen, and the country became predominantly urban. Tribal and religious self-identification faded into the background, becoming part of the culture.
In the North, the tribal tradition retained its dominance. Northern Yemen is typical archaic, tradition and tribal. Hence the spread and dominance of Islamist groups. Attempts to build a state based on tribal unions. Naturally, when the archaic tries to build a more civilizationally developed North for itself, it encounters strong resistance. The resources of the parties are generally equal, so neither the South nor the North has a decisive superiority. But compromise is impossible; any truce is preparation for a new round of war.
Hence stalemate: an endless civil war involving external players. In particular, both regional players - Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and global ones - the United States in tandem with Britain and China have their own interests in the region.
One of the poorest Arab countries, torn apart by constant conflicts for almost the entire modern history, has become largest black trading market weapons in the Middle East, Northeast Africa - Soviet, Chinese, Western, etc. Including quite modern ones, including air defense systems, Drones, surface-to-surface missiles, etc. Entire divisions can be armed with these weapons. There are tons of weapons there.
The population lives in monstrous poverty. Total unemployment. Young people have nothing to do but fight. Die young. World organizations, including the UN, have repeatedly raised the issue of hunger and the problem of lack of fresh water. At the same time, the remaining water is spent on a plant-based soft drug - khat. This is a drug that has a strong psychotropic effect. Almost the entire adult population of Yemen sits on it.
Hussites
The Houthis gained notoriety when they quite successfully repelled the intervention of neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And when in 2022 drones and missiles flew from Yemen to the Israeli port city of Eilat, and in 2023 the Houthis began to attack merchant ships, then at some point they became almost the main stars of the international media, displacing the Ukrainian front and Israel’s war in Gaza.
Tribes (more than 70) professing the Az-Zaydiyya movement of Shiism (therefore they are also called Zaydis) make up the majority of the population of North Yemen. In the 1970s, the share of Zaydis in Yemen's population was estimated at 55%. Nowadays the number of Zaydis is estimated at one third of the total population. Zaydi spiritual and military-political leaders ruled in the north and adjacent territories of Yemen intermittently since the 1960th century. In the 1980s, the traditional Zaydi clans temporarily lost their special position. But already in the second half of the XNUMXs their intensification began.
Under the influence of the Sunni Salafi movement, in 1992, the leaders of one of the Zaydi tribes created the youth religious and educational movement “Al-Shabab al-Mu-minin” (“Orthodox Youth”). The spiritual authorities of the Lebanese Shiites had a noticeable influence on him. In 1994, on the basis of the youth movement, the religious and political organization of Zaydis Ansar Allah (“Ansar Allah”, also “Ansarullah” - “helper of Allah”) was created.
By the beginning of the 2000s. The Houthis already controlled northern Yemen. The central government's attempt to subjugate them led to the outbreak of the Shiite uprising in 2004. Hostilities continued intermittently until 2010.
As a result, the Houthis finally achieved their autonomy in the north.
Against the background of the general destabilization of the Arab world, which began in 2010–2011. (the so-called “Arab Spring”), the Houthis achieved new successes. Taking advantage of anti-government demonstrations and constant fighting between various centers of power in the rest of the country, they launched their offensive. Entering into temporary coalitions with influential clans and factions of the Sunni majority, they captured the capital in January–March 2015. Yemen is again divided into two parts. The South was supported by Sad Arabia with the participation of the UAE, Egypt and a number of other Muslim countries. But the Saudis failed to crush the Houthis, and a truce was concluded in 2022. Negotiations began to resolve the conflict.
In 2009, the Houthis began to be supported by Iran, which takes an uncompromising position towards the Saudis. Ties between Tehran and the Houthis have steadily strengthened. The Lebanese Hezbollah (a pro-Iranian organization) began to provide military assistance to the Houthis. As a result, the Houthis have become real military proxies of Iran, a headache for Riyadh.
The Houthis are vehemently anti-American and anti-Israeli. Their slogan: “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse on the Jews, victory for Islam.” Their military potential, with the help of Iran, was constantly increasing. They have missiles with a range of up to 2 thousand km and attack drones with a range of up to 1,5–2 thousand km. Since 2023, the Houthis have become participants in the confrontation in Gaza, trying to strike Israel.
Why did the US and Britain attack the Houthis?
Basic reasons: threat to world trade and the authority of the American superpower.
The Houthis, who cannot cause damage to the Israeli military machine with their attacks, have moved on to attack merchant ships owned by Israeli and Western companies. Often any merchants come under attack. According to various sources, 15–20% of world trade passes through the Red Sea. Due to pirate attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, shipping rates from China to Britain have soared to $10 per 40-foot container. In mid-December 2023, rates were $1,9 thousand and $2,4 thousand per 20- and 40-foot container, respectively.
Many large companies and ship owners, instead of passing through the Suez Canal, now prefer to bypass the Red Sea and go through Africa. This significantly increases the travel time (from 20 to 30 days) and is fraught with a sharp increase in the volume of fuel combustion. This leads to a widespread increase in the cost of goods.
The world's largest companies, such as BP, shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, the French CMA CGM, and the Chinese COSCO, have changed the traditional route or completely abandoned transportation in this direction. Ships began to use a longer route around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Their example was followed by Qatar, the largest supplier of LNG to Europe after the United States, which suspended supplies through the Red Sea. In 2023, Qatar accounted for about 13% of Western European consumption.
Some well-known international companies, for example, Tesla, Chinese auto giant Geely, and Swedish furniture manufacturing company Ikea, are experiencing component shortages due to changes in shipping routes.
At first, the United States avoided military confrontation. Washington, through the mediation of Oman, tried to reach an agreement. But the Houthis said they could not stand by in Hamas's war against Israel. Riyadh's attempts to stop the escalation were also unsuccessful.
On the night of January 11-12, the first US and British strikes were carried out on Houthi military targets. US President Biden has called the Houthis a terrorist group. The American leader noted that the United States will continue to strike Houthi targets in Yemen if they do not stop attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
Thus, the US has no choice. It is necessary to confirm the reputation of a superpower. Yemeni pirates disrupt international trade. Attacks on merchant ships require a response.
For Russia, the situation is of interest if the collective West becomes involved in a protracted conflict in the region. Which will divert attention and resources from the Ukrainian front. However, there is little chance of this happening. Apparently, the Americans and their allies will strike Yemen’s military infrastructure from time to time. The Houthis do not have air defense, missile defense, naval forces or air force; there will be no serious answer. Punitive actions to bring reason. A full-fledged war with the Houthis is meaningless for the United States; it cannot be won.
Targeted strikes to sensitize people to restore full-fledged world trade. Reduce the combat potential of Iran's proxies. If the Houthis do not understand, they will repeat the strikes. In the most severe scenario, the coastal area will be bombed until the infrastructure is completely destroyed and the country returns to a cave state. If Iran gets in, the scenario will be different. There is a smell of a big regional war here.
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