Yemen - The Biggest Humanitarian Crisis in the World: Analysis through the lens of Civil War Theories

This thesis aims to answer the following question: What has made Yemen the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, as declared by the UN? Yemen remains at the forefront of conflict zones with around 233,000 civilians dead and 24 million in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, making this crisis the most devastating any nation has ever faced. Through a historically rich political analysis of Yemen, I conclude that there were three main factors that exacerbated the political situation and led to the onset of the civil war in 2014, which eventually turned into the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world. Firstly, Yemen had deep-rooted political instability which is demonstrated through historical analysis from the period of colonial rule in the 1900s up till the present situation. The analysis reveals the tribal and political divisions in Yemen, the rise of rebel groups such as the Houthis, and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's patronage-based leadership, which eventually created conditions favoring the possibility of a civil war in Yemen. Secondly, Yemen's government structure was always in the middle of the democracy-autocracy spectrum due to which the escalation of the Arab spring's wave in Yemen could not be prevented. Additionally, the transition to a democratic government was not efficiently handled in Yemen which enabled the Houthis to rise to power by overthrowing the Yemeni government. Thirdly, foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the U.S. have played a crucial role in Yemen's civil war and have tried to manipulate the situation in ways that can serve their vested interests in the region. The discussion of these three factors illustrates how Yemen's history was paving the way for this civil war for decades. In the end, I conclude the thesis by proposing three solutions to the Yemeni civil war. Firstly, I suggest a ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen so the airstrikes are immediately brought to a halt. Secondly, the handing over of the humanitarian assistance directly to the Houthis should be banned as they are using the resources to strengthen their military operations. Lastly, I recommend a dialogue conference among all the political actors in Yemen to form a new government with a clearer sense of power-sharing.