Current Analysis

Benefiting from the Misery of Others

Asher Orkaby examines the politics and unforeseen consequences of international aid in response to war and suffering in Yemen. He finds that much of the humanitarian aid actually exacerbates the war by fostering a lucrative wartime economy, disincentivizing peaceful resolutions and prolonging nation

Asher Orkaby • 14 min read

MER Article

The Muslim Ban and Trump's War on Immigration

Within one week of taking office, President Donald Trump made good on his campaign promise to implement a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Clothed in the language of national security, Executive Order 13769, issued on January 27, 2017, immediately prohibited the entry of immigrant and

Louise Cainkar • 18 min read

Current Analysis

The Muslim Ban and Trump's War on Immigration

Trump's war on immigration from the Middle East, enacted through multiple executive orders and proclamations since January 2017, is collectively known as the Muslim ban. Eventually approved by the Supreme Court, it hit the Yemeni community particularly hard with overwhelming costs and other hurdles

Louise Cainkar • 17 min read

The Battle for South Yemen

Despite the recent agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia, it may also be the case that the fight for the future of the country has begun between forces that want militarily either to occupy or liberate South Yemen.

Susanne Dahlgren • 12 min read

MER Article

Helen Lackner, Yemen in Crisis: The Road to War

Few people from the West know Yemen better than Helen Lackner. Her experience and insights make this book essential for understanding the multiple dimensions of Yemen’s crisis.

Joe Stork • 5 min read

MER Article

Progressive Surge Propels Turning Point in US Policy on Yemen

The US House of Representatives passed a potentially historic resolution on February 13, 2019, calling for an end to US military support for the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen that began in 2015. This long overdue Congressional action to constrain executive war-making, however, would no

Danny Postel • 12 min read

MER Article

Roundtable: Three Women Activists Advancing Peace in Yemen

The growing public awareness of the war in Yemen—and the historic Congressional invocation of the War Powers Act this winter—could not have occurred without the dedicated activism of Yemeni Americans and their allies. A contributing editor to this issue, Stacey Philbrick Yadav, spoke to three activi

Stacey Philbrick Yadav • 12 min read

MER Article

American Interventionism and the Geopolitical Roots of Yemen’s Catastrophe

The region’s current pattern of violence is rooted in the repeated US efforts to re-make the region to its advantage through the use of coercive force since 2001. Washington’s interventions and proliferating counterterrorism operations around the region—along with the new Arab wars that followed the

Waleed Hazbun • 13 min read

MER Article

The Saudis Bring War to Yemen’s East

A new phase of the war appears to be unfolding in al-Mahra, the far eastern governorate of southern Yemen on the Indian Ocean next to Oman. In 2017 Saudi Arabian troops suddenly rolled through the streets of al-Ghaydha, the governorate capital, taking over the regional airport and announcing that th

Susanne Dahlgren • 15 min read

MER Article

Ambitions of a Global Gulf

From the wars in Syria and Libya to the catastrophic bombing campaign in Yemen, the Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been the main Arab forces involved in the region’s current conflicts. The Gulf also increasingly shapes the political and economic policies of other A

Adam Hanieh • 13 min read

MER Article

Yemen and the Imperial Investments in War

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the catastrophic war in Yemen has provoked intense and unprecedented public questioning about American ties to the Saudi regime in late 2018, particularly the role of American arms and military support in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. But rethinking the place of arms

Priya Satia • 12 min read

MER Article

Yemen’s Women Confront War’s Marginalization

Despite advances gained from women’s strong participation in the 2011 uprisings against the dictatorship of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Salih, and despite the fact that they continue to play an essential role in the day-to-day survival of their communities, three years of war and militariz

Afrah Nasser • 12 min read