Could the Houthis Be the Next Hizballah? Iranian Proxy Development in Yemen and the Future of the Houthi Movement

Johnston, T. E. St.; Lane, Matthew; Casey, Abigail; Williams, Heather J.; Rhoades, Ashley L.; Sladden, James; Vest, Nathan; Reimer, Jordan R.; Haberman, Ryan

doi:10.7249/rr2551

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Perceived discrimination by the central government, coupled with economic challenges and a sense of exclusion, fueled their discontent. Regional and sectarian dynamics, along with geopolitical influences, further contributed to the rise of the Houthi movement (Trevor Johnston, 2020).…”

Section: Fig 1 the Republic Of Yemenmentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Yemen’s Crisis and its Global Implications

Bhattarai,

Bhattarai

2024

NCWA Ann. J.

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Yemen’s story, from becoming one country in 1990 to the rise of the Houthi rebels and how they affect global trade, is full of changes. First, when North and South Yemen joined in 1990, people hoped for stability and progress. But inside Yemen, there were fights, tribal issues, and struggles to modernize. The fights for power and bad governance made things worse. Then came the Houthi movement. It started because some Shia Muslims in Yemen felt left out politically and economically. Originally just a religious group, it became a strong political and fighting force. Iran helped them, and they took over important sea routes like the Bab el Mandeb strait. The world’s response to the Houthi blockades shows how tricky Yemen’s situation is. Countries tried diplomacy, asked for breaks in fighting, and secretly tried to influence things. Big countries like the United States, China, Iran, and Russia got involved too, making things even more complicated. With sea routes disrupted, shipping costs go up, and it takes longer for goods to reach their destination thus affecting global politics, trade and business. In short, Yemen’s story from unification to the Houthi rebels shows how history, politics, and money all mix together. Yemen’s problems show that the world needs to work together to fix things and bring peace, happiness, and cooperation to everyone.

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Section: Fig 1 the Republic Of Yemenmentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Yemen’s Crisis and its Global Implications

Bhattarai,

Bhattarai

2024

NCWA Ann. J.

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“…Rather than a Shi'a proxy, they are in fact ‘a strategic actor with clear interests. At their core the Houthis are focused on domestic issues and historic grievances’ (Johnston et al, 2020, 7). Riyadh was determined to over‐exaggerate Iranian involvement with the Houthis, to undermine the possibility of Iranian diplomatic rapprochement with the US and to gain support for ODS.…”

Section: Saudi Motivations – Securitising Iran Justifying Odsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Securitisation imperatives and the exaggeration of Iranian involvement with the Houthi movement by international actors

Walsh

2023

Global Policy

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This paper traces the development of a particular securitisation narrative, which over-exaggerated Iranian involvement with the Houthi movement between 2014 and 2015. It is important to contextualise, as, over time, this narrative has gradually become a self-fulfilling prophecy, with Iranian involvement steadily increasing (Juneau, 2016;Shaif, 2019). During the build-up to Operation Decisive Storm (ODS), a Saudi-led air and naval campaign that consisted of comprehensive bombing and blockading, Iranian involvement with the Houthi rebels was minimal (Hill, 2017). Nevertheless, key figures from the Islamic Republic, especially within the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), had raised Saudi anxiety by espousing rhetorical support for the Houthis. There was not complete consensus across the political and military classes in Iran that this was the correct course of action, but members of both the IRGC and political elite goaded Riyadh by lending rhetorical support to the Houthis. Saudi Arabia (KSA) over-exaggerated the connection between the two, portraying the Houthis as a direct Iranian proxy, to justify its intervention to international audiences, touching on pre-existing anti-Iranian sentiment. Fearful of the growing likelihood of improved United States (US)-Iranian relations through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Riyadh took small instances of Iranian influence in Yemen and amplified them to an untruthful level (Mabon, 2018). International audiences, especially the US and the United Kingdom (UK), accepted and co-opted this narrative.

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“…545 Coming from a position of conventional inferiority, Iran has invested in unconventional and asymmetric capabilities to ensure the defense of its territory and to coerce neighbors. Proxies, even with the principal-agent dilemma in which Iran does not exert full control over these groups, 546 provide Iran with options to horizontally escalate in the midst of a conflict. These forces have directly attacked regional adversaries, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, and they threaten countries where Iran is seeking to expand its influence, such as Bahrain, Iraq, and Lebanon.…”

Section: Trends In Iranian Security Cooperationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deterring Russia and Iran: Improving Effectiveness and Finding Efficiencies

2023

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The increased prominence of deterrence since 2014 raises the question of how to reinvigorate U.S. military contributions to deterrence without crowding out investments in other priority missions, principally competing with China in the Indo-Pacific. The question comes to a head in Europe and the Middle East, where the U.S. military has substantial requirements to deter Russia and Iran, but with uncertain return on investment given the difficulty in determining whether deterrence operations are translating into the desired outcome. This report is designed to support defense planners in selecting deterrence strategies that are the most promising for achieving their objectives. It is also designed to identify areas where defense planners may look for efficiencies, thereby preserving resources for other priorities.

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Could the Houthis Be the Next Hizballah? Iranian Proxy Development in Yemen and the Future of the Houthi Movement

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

History of Yemen’s Crisis and its Global Implications

History of Yemen’s Crisis and its Global Implications

Securitisation imperatives and the exaggeration of Iranian involvement with the Houthi movement by international actors

Deterring Russia and Iran: Improving Effectiveness and Finding Efficiencies

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