Report Launch: Foreign Actors in Yemen

Sana’a Center jointly with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcome you to our event during which we will launch our latest report on foreign actors titled "Foreign Actors in Yemen: The History, the Politics and the Future." The report was published in parallel with a series of publications each focusing on one of the main foreign actors in Yemen.

This paper examines the role of foreign actors in Yemen historically and up until our present day, from the first Zaidi imam in the ninth century to the regional military intervention led by Saudi Arabia in 2015.

Outsiders have often altered the trajectory of domestic politics in Yemen, but this has been particularly pronounced throughout the 20th century, when modern communication technology, speed of travel and air power allowed outside powers, such as the British empire in south Yemen, to more directly influence and impact change on the ground in Yemen. But perhaps never have foreign actors had as large and influential a role in Yemen as they do in the midst of the ongoing war. The report explains how Yemen got to this point by illustrating the roles and interests of Yemen’s many foreign actors.

Sana'a Center Non-Resident Fellow Gregory D. Johnsen who authored the report will be among the panelists joined by Hisham al-Khawlani, a Yemeni researcher based in China whose research focuses on China’s relations with Yemen, and Abdulghani al-Iryani, Sana’a Center’s Senior Researcher.

The session will be co-facilitated by Amb. Peter Semnbey, Sweden's Special Envoy to Middle East and North Africa, and Sana'a Center Non-Resident Fellow Maysaa Shuja al-Deen. There will be a Q&A following the panelists' presentations.

Date: Monday April 19, 2021

Time: 7PM - 8PM Sana'a Time / 12PM - 1PM EST

The event is open to the public but pre-registration is required. Please RSVP to [email protected] receive the zoom link to the event.