اقرأ المحتوى باللغة العربية
On December 16, two days of strategic dialogue aimed at building regional stability concluded in Amman, Jordan. The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies partnered with the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the Swedish agency for peace, security, and development, to discuss persistent security risks along the Red Sea coast and the Horn of Africa.
Since November 2, 2023, Houthi forces have carried out sustained attacks against Red Sea shipping. These have triggered retaliation from a US-led coalition, including airstrikes within Yemeni territory. Israel has also responded to Houthi drone and missile strikes by targeting ports and energy facilities, escalating the intensity of the conflict. These have created a series of geopolitical consequences affecting countries bordering the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. In a region where socioeconomic inequality is already destabilizing, many states are facing new domestic security threats and intensifying economic competition, and diplomatic pathways to regional stability are growing scarce.
To avert further crises, a series of roundtable discussions convened delegates from states on the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Horn of Africa, who all share an interest in tempering Yemen’s escalating conflict. “There is great uncertainty surrounding Yemen’s peace process,” said Hussam Radman, a research fellow at the Sana’a Center. “Peace in Yemen is the key to regional stability, and a unified response from neighbor states can help prevent violence from multiplying.”
According to Rim Mugahed, the Sana’a Center’s Political Affairs Director, the workshop aimed to foster a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of current regional dynamics in the Red Sea and their ripple effects on the conflict in Yemen.
Mugahed noted that the increasingly interconnected nature of the Yemeni conflict had transformed the Yemen crisis from a predominantly local issue into a key geopolitical flashpoint. Despite this shift, she highlighted persistent gaps in understanding how regional power dynamics operate and Yemen’s strategic role within them.
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is an independent think tank that seeks to foster change through knowledge production, with a focus on Yemen and the surrounding region. The Center’s publications and programs, offered in Arabic and English, cover political, social, economic, and security developments, aiming to impact policy locally, regionally, and internationally.
The Folke Bernadotte Academy is a Swedish agency for peace, security, and development. Through International Research Working Groups, FBA ensures that its work has a direct link to researchers, who in turn can give advice about contextual analysis, relevant scholarly literature, and additional research contacts. FBA also functions as a bridge between research and practice.