Regime and periphery in Northern Yemen: the Huthi phenomenon

Introduction -- The context of regime-periphery relations in Northern Yemen. Sa'da in the North Yemeni context -- The sociocultural ecology of the Huthi conflict : tribalism and religion -- From tension to conflict : social change and Huthi emergence, 1980s-2004. Run-up to the regime-Huthi conflict, 1980s-2001 -- From tension to confrontation : triggers of conflict, 2001-2004 -- The six Sa'da wars. From phases to rolling conflict : time line, geography, and magnitude of Huthi-GoY fighting -- GoY operations : goals and methods -- The Huthis as combatants -- Conflict prolongers : the environmental, human, and economic consequences of Huthi-GoY fighting -- Conclusion

For nearly six years, the Government of Yemen (GoY) has conducted military operations against groups of its citizens north of San'a, known as "Huthis" or Believing Youth (BY). In spite of using all coercive and ideological means at its disposal, the GoY has been unable to fully subdue the Huthi movement, which has sustained a material and popular base over successive phases of armed conflict into the winter of 2010. At the same time, the regime has confronted mounting southern discontent and al-Qa'ida-inspired terrorism, as well as severely contracting economic prospects. The war against the Huthis, however, has of late absorbed more of the GoY's political attention and coercive resources than these other issues, weakening the state's ability to deal with the multiple challenges it faces. The Huthi conflict thus presents an enduing threat both to the regime of President 'Ali 'Abdullah Saleh and to the stability of Yemen as a unitary state. It also fundamentally impairs the GoY's ability to function as a U.S. partner for regional security, stability, and counterterrorism. Furthermore, armed confrontation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Huthi fighters beginning in November-December 2009 has added a transnational dimension to the conflict and risks pulling in other regional countries, such as Iran. Such an eventuality would fundamentally undermine security in the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf, harming the regional interests of the United States while it is engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan, and nuclear negotiations with Iran