In December 2023, the United States announced the creation of a new naval task force in the Red Sea: Operation Prosperity Guardian. This will tackle the rising threat posed to shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthi Movement based in Yemen. However, the mission faces many challenges. Quite apart from limited international support, there is a danger that it could undermine efforts to resolve the civil war in Yemen. In addition, it could destabilise relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have been recently improving. So, what exactly is the threat all about?

Yemen is one of the most war-torn countries in the world. Having emerged as two separate countries, the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen), they merged in May 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen. For many years, this was ruled by Ali Abdullah Saleh. However, in 2012, he was forced to resign after mass protests erupted as part of the Arab Spring. This sparked a brutal civil war as the northern-based Houthi Movement seized power in much of the country. This, in turn, led to a Saudi Arabia intervention. But since 2022, the level of fighting has dropped significantly, and there are hopes that a peace agreement may be found. And it’s this that is causing so much concern. Many fear that the new US-led naval mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, while crucial for protecting the international economy, may upset the delicate search for peace, plunge Yemen back into conflict, and re-ignite Saudi and Iranian tensions - thus aggravating the situation in the broader Middle East.

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VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:48 The Gaza War and Threat from Yemen
01:44 Yemen and the Red Sea
02:54 The Creation of a Unified Yemen
05:55 Yemen: From Unification to Civil War, 1990-2015
07:03 The Advance of the Houthi Movement
08:26 International Intervention in the Yemen Civil War
09:37 From Crisis to Ceasefire in Yemen
11:29 Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Shipping
13:19 Will the US Task Force Undermine Middle East Peace?

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Yemen Foreign Ministry
https://www.mofa-ye.org/Pages/en/
US Department of Defense
http://www.defense.gov
UN Special Envoy for Yemen
https://osesgy.unmissions.org

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#Yemen #RedSea #Houthis