For the past 18 months, Yemen has been going through one of the most chaotic times of its modern history. Since the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2014, the country has been witnessing a gradual collapse of the state, which was accelerated when President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi left Sanaa for Aden and then for Riyadh. By March 2015, the Houthi rebel group was the de facto power running the country.
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Beware of the failure of Yemen’s central bank May 15, 2016 Analysis
How US counterterror strategy has crashed and burned in Yemen – and what to try instead March 3, 2016 Analysis
Ensuring Yemen’s state structures survive the conflict: - The imminent critical threats to the … February 25, 2016 Main Publications
Geography of War and Agriculture in Yemen January 8, 2016 Analysis
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How US counterterror strategy has crashed and burned in Yemen – and what to try instead
After 15 years of US efforts to combat terror and achieve stability in Yemen, a new study by Saferworld concludes that these efforts—as in the cases of Afghanistan andSomalia—have badly backfired. Today, Yemen requires not more military intervention, but strategies to counter corrupt and abusive government and to show its people that their security and rights matter.
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Ensuring Yemen’s state structures survive the conflict: The imminent critical threats to the Yemeni riyal and government institutions
In whatever post-conflict scenario eventually prevails in Yemen, the domestic currency and the institutions of state will be essential to the rebuilding process. To date, both have persevered despite the enormous pressure of a vicious civil war and foreign bombing campaign. The Central Bank of Yemen’s actions have successfully protected the value of the Yemeni riyal against the American dollar – essential in a country that imports 90% of its food requirements – while the central government, which even at…
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Geography of War and Agriculture in Yemen
Why is war a more common occurrence in some parts of Yemen than in others? Why do cities like Aden recover quickly from wars? And why do their youth rush to clean up streets and restore normalcy? Why do wars quickly cease in cities like Taiz and Ibb, but are quick to flare up over and over around Sanaa? It is basically a matter of the economy. In the tribal North, where a war economy prevails, tribes thrive on conflicts.…
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Yemen’s economic collapse and impending famine: The necessary immediate steps to avoid worst-case scenarios
Yemen’s economic collapse and impending famine: The necessary immediate steps to avoid worst-case scenarios
This policy paper, published by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, aims to provide a reading of Yemen’s current economic situation. It offers a contemporary context to the crisis, examines the economic impact of the ongoing civil war and Saudi-led military intervention, then discusses policy recommendations for stakeholders regarding how best to prevent the disintegration of Yemen's economy and the onset of famine.
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SANA’A CENTER CONDEMNS DEPORTATION OF ITS RESEARCHERS FROM BAHRAIN
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies strongly condemns the deportation of two of its researchers, Farea al-Muslimi and Sama’a al-Hamdani from Bahrain. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) invited Hamdani and Muslimi as independent Yemen specialists to participate in this weekend’s Manama Dialogue (October 30-31).
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Sana’a Center Condemns arrest of its Executive Director, Maged Al-Madhaji, along with other civil society activists
Sana’a Center Condemns arrest of its Executive Director, Maged Al-Madhaji, along with other civil society activists
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS) strongly condemns the detention of its Executive Director, Maged Al-Madhaji, by armed forces loyal to the Houthi rebel movement. On Saturday morning, September 19th, Madhaji was arrested at a protest demanding freedom for Yemenis held extrajudicially by the Houthis and their allies, along with journalist Mahmoud Yassin , Bassim Al-Warafi and the founders of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, Radhya Al-Mutawakel and Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih. Mutawakel has been released. Regretfully, the rest remain in…
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United States Policy & Yemen’s Armed Conflict
The Yemen Peace Project (YPP), in partnership with Resonate! Yemen and Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, has published a new report entitled United States Policy & Yemen’s Armed Conflict. The report examines the events leading up to the outbreak of the conflict in early 2015, assesses the successes and shortcomings of US foreign policy before and during the conflict, and presents realistic recommendations for a more peaceful and constructive American approach to Yemen’s crisis. The report focuses on five specific policy…
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The Role of Local Actors in Yemen’s Current War
As civil war persists in Yemen, it is crucial for international and local policymakers, as well as military leaders, to expand their understanding of the role of local actors, and the dynamics at play between them, in order to reach an inclusive long-term peace agreement. In the absence of this awareness, Yemen risks remaining in a state of conflict and in the face of a tenacious humanitarian catastrophe for the foreseeable future. This policy brief is the second in a…
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The Roles of Regional Actors in Yemen and Opportunities for Peace
On the dawn of March 26th, 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched Operation Decisive Storm, an internationally backed military campaign against the Houthis, a Zaidi Shi’a led rebel group, and forces allied to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen. The operation has given rise to new roles for new, non-Yemeni actors in the country, leading to an unprecedented regionalization of Yemen’s conflict.
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