In a tacit admission that US influence in the Islamic world is in freefall, the Biden administration is openly seeking the People’s Republic of China’s help in extricating itself from its self-inflicted fiascos in Gaza and Yemen.
The US Biden administration couldn’t resist the temptation to launch major military strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. In doing so, it brought renewed attention to the fact that the presidential exercise of war powers has become routinely unconstitutional.
Yemen’s Houthi movement has been in the spotlight recently for its military actions in the Red Sea; multiple commercial ships have been targeted in an attempt to warn Western powers, in particular, the United States and the United Kingdom, to end their support for the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
The Houthi movement in Yemen is pressuring the internationally-recognized government in Aden to fulfill promises which were tentatively agreed in ceasefire negotiations. Laying in the background, however, are the movement’s long-standing demands for economic and social justice which will provide equitable treatment to those who live in the mountainous northern areas of the nation.
A long-lasting peace deal could finally be in the works for Yemen after delegations from Saudi Arabia visited the rebel capital of Sanaa for talks with Houthi rebels. These discussions quickly led to prisoner swaps, helping to increase the level of trust.
Now that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations following their talks in Beijing earlier this month, hopes have emerged that the eight-year civil war in Yemen may finally be coming to an end. However, there is yet to be any specific plan to include the troubled South Arabian nation within bilateral peace negotiations.
In September 2021, Samah Ameen, her husband, and three children arrived in India after fleeing the Yemen civil war with the hopes for a better future. But more than a year later, they continue to struggle and haven’t been recognized as refugees.
Japan has been targeting aid to the port of Aden, which is transmitting crucial assistance to the poverty and war-stricken nation of Yemen.
Antiwar campaigners applauded news that the United Nations-brokered truce in Yemen had been extended for another two months, and they called on US lawmakers to help ensure more permanent peace by passing the Yemen War Powers Resolution.
As the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to dominate international headlines, Yemen is mired into one of the worst food crises on the planet.
