Yemen’s war: Current developments and regional dynamics

In the last week of March 2015, Saudi Arabia announced that a coalition of twelve countries will begin Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen, a nation troubled by civil war and severe humanitarian crisis.

The Saudi-led intervention aimed at retaliating against the Shia Houthi rebels and restoring the exiled international government of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Six years later, regional and international dynamics have changed, and Yemen has become even more fragmented with Yemeni civilians paying the heaviest price as they find themselves in what the UN has called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Within the Gulf, reconciliation between GCC countries is picking up after more than three years of diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a number of regional countries led by Saudi Arabia. In addition, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi’s main ally in the Yemen war, has withdrawn from the country.

In the United States, the new Biden administration has ended its military support for offensive operations by Saudi-led allies in Yemen including a freeze of arms sales.

In this webinar, organized by the Chatham House Middle East Programme, speakers will reflect on the last six years of war in Yemen and discuss prospects for peace.

• How has the conflict changed since 2015?

• What does the UAE military withdrawal from Yemen mean for the different parties involved?

• Is the UN framework for peace process still viable?

• How have the wider dynamics in the Gulf and the Middle East impacted the Yemen war, and vice versa?

• What is Iran’s end game in Yemen? And how has the regional order changed since 2015?

This webinar is part of the MENA Programme’s Online Events Series and will be livestreamed on the MENA Programme Facebook page.