Yemen

The Believing Youth: A response to the insufficient gains of the previous social movement

"Creating activists who would be culturally, morally, and spiritually prepared" Dumm, 100)

-Created summer school and after school programs/camps. Growing from 35 students, to 67 camps throughout Yemen

Movements in Yemen:

"subject to opposing factors of opportunity that facilitate collective action and suppressive factors that restrict it" (Dumm, 13)

Overthrow of Zaydi Imamate, 1962

Houthi grew out of the Zaydi Revivalist Social Movement

The Counter terrorism argument:

1. Sloganing as primary cause of war

2. Houthi's strategy has allegedly involved acts of terrorism, alongside traditional guerrilla warfare

3. Yemeni government has potrayed the Houthis as terrorists in the state-controlled media

Houthi

Tied together metaphots of group trauma, like the loss of the [Zaydi] imamate, to the modern plight of young Zaydis in the face of both state neglect (Politically and economically) as well as.... the Wahabi ideological threat" (Dumm, 104).

"Yemen has deliberately confused Houthi supporters with al Qa'eda blurring the lines between the groups by including both members on a single list of wanted terrorists. This tactic...will allow it to pusue the war agaist the Houthis under the guise of striking at al Qa'eda" Dumm, 45

Houthi Family: Husayn, Baddredin, and Abdel Malick

Yahya al Houthi: "We are not anti American...Rest assured that we do not have any issues with the American people, but we disaporive of some of their government's foreign policy in the Middle East"

How it started: 2004, Believing Youth

Capital: Sana'a

Under rebel control: The Houthis

Shouting anti-American & anti-Israeli slogans during Friday prayers in Sana'a

President Saleh took this as a regime change challenge

The regimes use of military blockades to key access roads in Saada, heavy artillery in civilian populated areas, and justification of attacks based on "key rebel depots"

IDP camps:

A camp in Masraq holds 15,000 with 900 women and children arriving daily (Dumm, 37)

Anti-Afghanistan and Iraq wars, so proposed an image that resisted against America

3,000 imprisoned political prisoners

Question: Do you think the "anti-western sentiments" were misappropriated by counter terrorist framing?

People encouraged to stop paying taxes

***Take into consideration: could the slogan have been in resentment ot the complicity of U.S. foreign policy in MENA

Husayn al-Houthi, charged with establishing a militia and spreading extremist idealogy

600-800 arrested

Protests seen live on national TV, with banners with anti US and Israel rhetoric

fighting, blockades, military response, and a letter:

"I do not work against you, I appreciate you, and what you do tremendously...trust that I am more sincere adn honest to you than they [American & Israel] are" (Dumm, 29).

Throughout 2003-2004

Beleiveing Youth and other supports began boycotting and protesting

Husayn al-Houthi dies, September 10, 2004

Smoke Art

music

under the leadship of Baddredin, war waged form 05-06--Abdel Malik takes control in 06', war from 07-08, moving from rural to urban

2010 brief ceasefire

Aden, new capital

Yemeni Artists Paint on Walls to Protest War

"Yemen after 5 months, looks like Syria after 5 years" -Peter Maurer, International Committee of the Red Cross

al-monitor.com

Guardian

Education

Women average: 2.3 years

Birth registration: only 15.2% under 5 registered in 2013

What is Just War Theory?

Men average: 6.3 years

69% of women are literate

Ted talk

The Republic of Yemen

BBC.com

Drones

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Questions to ask: How do we know that we achieved a tangible security gain?

How is success measured?

What has the power to make human life secondary?

Official langauge: Arabic

Official religion: Islam

Currency: Yemeni Rial

Goals:

1. Target terrorist orgs

2. Tangible security gains

3. Does not generate more militants than before drone usage

See Yemen through the eyes of Nadia al-Saffak

Population: 27.5 Million

What does surveillance mean to you?

1 USD=250 Yemeni Rial

The numbers-- Is drone usage successful?

3.3 million people internally displaced

IDPs are forced to move into schools, which causes closures, and animosity

Continent: Asia

Drone usage in Pakistan and Afghanistan caused Al-Qaeda and affiliats to migrate to Yemen-- causing Yemen to be the target for drone warfare.

Between 2002-2013, between 7199-927 drones used in Yemen, up to 13% of casualties are known civilians.

But keep in mind

who is considered

a combatant?

"some advocates argue that the case for using them [drones] is self evident and that many of the legal and moral objections therefor become secondary" (Boyle, 138)

Obama administration's attitude according to U.S. official:

"Yemen was already 'a complete shit show' before the war. The Houthis are a nasty militia who deserve no favors and Yemen would be a 'shit show' whatever the United States does. So why further degrade a sometimes-unpleasant, but necessary relationship with the Saudis to produce the same end result?"

Twenty-five House Democrats urged Obama to end US support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen before Donald Trump took over:

“We are extremely puzzled that the Administration decided to continue the US military operation of refueling the very same aircraft that strike civilian targets in Yemen,” the letter states. “This approach sends a mixed signal to Saudi Arabia and is logically and internally inconsistent.”

Media and Communications Consultant

Gheed Nomaan

Trump's role

Jan 29th - Raid in Yemen, 1 U.S. Navy Seal dead, over 30 civilian deaths, 120 goats dead. Trump calls the raid "very successful."

May 2017: Trump administration announces $110 billion deal in arms sales to Saudi with additional $240 billion committed over 10 year period.

70 US airstrikes on Yemen in May alone - twice the total for 2016.

Famine

Obama's role

“Right now if you look at right now, we … already defend Saudi Arabia, right now, we’re defending them. Every time there’s a problem we go in and defend,” he told Fox News a year ago. “And frankly, as far as I’m concerned, that’s all fine.” Trump On Yemen war

savethechildren.org

Between 2009-2014

96% increase in arms sale to Saudi

19,940 bombs dropped

Mafraj Radio

days

Monetary gain to the U.S.: 35.7 Billion Dollars

Health

war/aid/health

$112 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia during his administration.

Despite holding back on arms sales at the very end of his administration in response to Oct funeral airstrike, arieal refueling continued, even doubled.

600,000 kids have contracted Cholera, with estimates of 1 Million by December 25th

4,000 cases per day

25% are children under 5

Savethechildren.org

THIS IS A MAN-MADE CRISIS: Breakdown of sanitation

63% of people have access to clean water

60% of children die before age 5

1,400 kids die every day

Balqees Ahmad Fathi

Yemen