The most important aspect of the Riyadh Agreement that was signed in the Saudi capital today between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) is that, if fully implemented, it will mean that Saudi Arabia will assume ultimate responsibility for southern Yemen politically, militarily and in terms of security, with the United Arab Emirates relinquishing its authority over its Yemeni proxies there.
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Read also in Publications
Priorities for Private Sector Recovery in Yemen: Reforming the Business and Investment Climate September 9, 2019 Main Publications
The Sana’a Center Editorial - Where Coalitions Come to Die September 4, 2019 The Yemen Review
The Southern Implosion – The Yemen Review, August 2019 September 4, 2019 The Yemen Review
The Sana’a Center Editorial - The March on Al-Mahra August 5, 2019 The Yemen Review
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The Fourth Yemen Exchange Conference Concludes
(Beirut, Lebanon) - The fourth Yemen Exchange conference, hosted by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, was held October 21-26, 2019, in Beirut, Lebanon. The conference offered a platform for a diverse range of Yemeni speakers and foreign experts to present their views and expertise on Yemen-related subjects and recent developments. Over 30 Yemeni speakers from across the political spectrum…
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The Sana’a Center Editorial The Brinksmanship of a SAFER Disaster
It is sadly common for belligerents to show wanton disregard for the health and welfare of civilian populations during war. What makes the warring parties in Yemen exceptional in this regard is the sheer scale of devastation they are willing to visit upon their fellow Yemenis in the pursuit of relatively trivial gains.
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Aramco’s Ashoura – The Yemen Review, September 2019
Attacks on two Saudi oil facilities in mid-September knocked more than 5 percent of the world’s crude production offline, sending oil prices soaring and further stoking tension in the Gulf. The Houthis claimed to have carried out the operation on state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco, though Saudi Arabia, the United States, and European powers have blamed Iran for the attacks. While concerns of a resulting military conflict that could engulf Yemen had not materialized by month’s end, the attacks are…
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A Yemeni Travel Odyssey: Unpredictable Airports and Risky Roads
Passengers board a Yemenia airplane preparing to depart on September 8, 2018, from Sayoun International Airport in the Hadramawt governorate, about 600 kilometers east of Sana'a, Yemen // Photo Credit: Sala al-Sakkaf. Sitting in departures at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, a backlog of WhatsApp messages ping in upon connecting to the airport Wi-Fi – friends warning me that…
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How Yemen Brought Saudi Arabia and the UAE to the Brink of Divorce
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ military intervention in Yemen, born out of limited planning and ill-defined objectives, has grown ever more complex and protracted. Geopolitical fragmentation, shifting alliances and sub-conflicts have accelerated in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition entered the fray in 2015.
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Restructuring Public Finances in Yemen
Even before the current conflict, Yemen’s public finances suffered from an overdependence on energy exports, one of the lowest tax collection rates in the world, and chronic budget and balance of payments deficits. The government’s consistent operating deficits were funded through domestic debt instruments – drawing investment away from the private sector – borrowing from its own central bank, and foreign loans.
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Seen Only in a Saudi Shadow: Why the US Misunderstands and Missteps in Yemen
The United States does not have a Yemen policy. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: the United States has never had a Yemen policy. What it has – what it has always had – is a Saudi policy that dictates and determines its actions in Yemen. For the US, Yemen is an add-on country, small enough and unimportant enough to be out-sourced. Periodically, of course, there are moments of crisis that demand more focused attention from US policymakers.
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Inflated Beyond Fiscal Capacity: The Need to Reform the Public Sector Wage Bill
This policy brief addresses the issue of Yemen’s bloated public sector. Due to decades of corruption and patronage appointments, among other factors, public sector salaries were already a source of fiscal stress prior to the ongoing war. Previous efforts to downsize the public sector, notably those supported by the World Bank, produced few tangible results, as this brief outlines.
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The Sana’a Center is Seeking a Full-Time Translator
**This position has been filled and applications are no longer being accepted** The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is seeking a full-time Arabic-to-English/English-to-Arabic Translator. As an independent Yemeni research center, we occupy the unique position of being headquartered in Sana’a, operating in all areas of Yemen, and maintaining access with almost all local, regional and international stakeholders in the ongoing…
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