Opinion: The Roots of the Yemeni Crisis
Written by : <
http://www.aawsat.net/author/ali-ibrahim> Ali Ibrahim
on : Wednesday, 12 Nov, 2014
Ever since the union of North and South Yemen was declared in 1990,
political conflicts and differences in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest
country have never ceased, reaching their climax in the 1994 bloody civil
war between former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Southern
secessionist leaders, who eventually turned their backs on the union and
attempted to secede once again.
The union between these two regimes-who differ widely, both politically and
economically-was not carefully worked out. It almost appeared to be an
attempt at ignoring the country's domestic problems (though, at the time,
this escapist attitude applied more to the South than the North). For the
Yemeni Socialist Party, this union-which came on the back of a bloody power
struggle that saw tanks deployed on the streets of Aden in 1986-came as an
insurance policy guaranteeing its remaining in power, particularly since, at
the time, the Soviet Union was no longer capable of providing it with
support and funds. As for the North, the union was a political opportunity
not to be missed.
This whole porcelain enterprise of uniting North and South resembles the
futile act of using beautiful colors to paint a house with cracked walls, an
empty roof, and shaky foundations-to thunderous public applause. In any
case, it took a mere four years for the house to collapse, partly due to the
authorities. Alliances shifted and the friends and partners of yesterday-the
Yemeni Socialist Party and its leadership-became today's enemies. A new
alliance between Saleh and the Al-Islah Party soon emerged, with radical
groups being used to subjugate Southern leaders who used all kinds of
weapons-including Scud missiles-in their war with the Yemeni government.
Eventually, Saleh won and the union continued. But the whole thing was
botched up, and no efforts were made to lay any firm foundations to secure
its continuity or to make all sides feel they had emerged victorious
following the bitter struggle. As such, the sense of injustice and
unfairness, whether justified or not, continued to emerge every now and
then, particularly since the public uprising of the Yemeni people in 2011
and the subsequent emergence of the Southern Al-Hirak secessionist movement
and the political vacuum that emerged.
Moreover, during the five years in the run-up to the 2011 uprising in
Sana'a, nearly three wars broke out between Saleh's government and the
Shi'ite Houthi movement, claiming hundreds of lives and inflicting heavy
material losses. Now it seems that the enemies of the past are the allies of
today, with the objective being to gain power in the country. This has led
the US and the international community to impose sanctions, comprising
travel bans and asset freezes, on Saleh and two Houthi leaders.
Everyone had high hopes about the Gulf Initiative, which sought to secure a
peaceful and organized transfer of power and prevent the country from
slipping into chaos and collapse following the public protests calling for
Saleh's departure. His deputy, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, eventually emerged to
lead the transition process under regional and international sponsorship.
But now it seems that, just like the case with the union, the colors were
beautiful but the house remained ridden with cracks and fissures-and still
without firm foundations. Consequently, it was natural that Yemen would turn
into an arena open to foreign powers interfering in its destiny and
attempting to move the country in certain directions.
The crisis in Yemen has its roots in a series of accumulated negative
political practices and clashes of interests that have divided more than
united Yemen's disparate factions. On the other hand, no serious efforts
were made to address the country's problems, particularly economic
development, which remains Yemen's biggest problem. No progress will be
achieved in Yemen without regional cooperation and support. Such support
needs political stability and politicians capable of rising above their
narrow interests and personal vendettas.
Received on Wed Nov 12 2014 - 16:18:34 EST