Re: Yemen Civil War
That winter was not very healthy for alliances in Yemen. Some dubious sources report that the cause was a disagreement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the natural resources of the region bordering Oman, but I doubt it was the main factor. The problem with the civil war in Yemen is that due to the scarcity of professional reporting, we are dependent on shady sources (like the self-proclaimed expert Nadwa Dawsari) with an obvious agenda, so discovering the truth can be particularly difficult, with information being monopolized by think tanks financially controlled by Washington or the Gulf monarchies. In my opinion, the problem with coalitions is that they never operate completely harmoniously, so frictions tend to appear regularly. In this case, the separatists probably thought (quite accurately judging by their success in Aden) that they are not compensated appropriately, in accordance to their military contributions. Superficially this new development may look like it will prolong the stalemate even further, but personally I am moderately optimist. The unification of Yemen always remained fragile, based on the tribal alliance between an army dictator and regional warlords. Even the map of the current conflict shows that the Houthi dominated forces control the northern part and their enemies the south. Perhaps the future elimination of the Hadi faction could gradually lead to a diplomatic negotiation, where the country is divided between the two sides, along the pre-1990 borders. After all, it's clear that neither the Houthis nor the Southern Movement are able or willing to advance to the south and the north respectively.