Betting Big in Yemen
For the Houthis, this is an existential fight. But the United States has a harder path to success.
Gregory D. Johnsen
Non-Resident Fellow, AGSIW; Associate Director, Institute for Future Conflict, U.S. Air Force Academy
Gregory D. Johnsen is a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is currently the associate director of the Institute for Future Conflict at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Johnsen has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan, a Fulbright Fellow in Yemen, and a Fulbright-Hays Fellow in Egypt. In 2013-14 he was selected as BuzzFeed’s inaugural Michael Hastings National Security Reporting Fellow where he won a Dirksen Award from the National Press Foundation and, in collaboration with Radiolab, a Peabody Award. He has a PhD from Princeton University and master’s degrees from Princeton and the University of Arizona. Johnsen is the author of The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia (W.W. Norton), which has been translated into multiple languages. From 2016-18 he served on the Yemen Panel of Experts for the United Nations Security Council. In 2019, he served as the lead writer for the United States Institute of Peace’s Syria Study Group. His writing on Yemen and terrorism has appeared in, among others, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Foreign Policy.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Yemen’s Weakest Link: The Presidential Leadership Council
To eliminate the Houthis' capabilities, the United States will need the support of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, a body plagued by infighting and incompetence.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Coming War in Yemen
Trump’s executive order redesignating the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization threatens direct military action against the Houthis, raising the possibility that the United States could get sucked into another long-term conflict in the Middle East.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Great Power Competition in the Red Sea
For the United States, the Houthi threat in the Red Sea should be treated as part of strategic competition instead of merely a local or regional challenge.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Day One Problems: Yemen
No matter who wins the presidency in November, the United States will need a strategy that allows it to protect free and open trade in the Red Sea without becoming bogged down in an open-ended conflict in Yemen.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Houthis’ Achilles Heel
In the short term, increasing economic pressure on the Houthis is likely to prompt them to reignite attacks on Saudi Arabia, while in the long term it could make reuniting Yemen into a single state all but impossible.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Houthis Escalate and Expand the War
How should the United States respond to an escalation in Houthi attacks when its current approach isn’t working?
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Houthis?
Tackling Yemen’s root problems won’t be easy, quick, or cheap, which is why no one has really tried.
The Houthi Challenge to Maritime Security
On March 12, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the Houthi challenge to maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
No Good Options: The U.S. Dilemma in Yemen
While not yet successful, the Biden administration’s “deter and degrade” approach may prove to be an adaptable approach that can be modified into a winning strategy.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Challenge With the Deter and Degrade Approach in Yemen
The Houthis see the attacks in the Red Sea as part of a broader political project that goes back decades.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
What Comes After the Missiles in Yemen?
The United States appears overly confident that military strikes will put the Houthi threat back in the box.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
A Lack of Options in Yemen
The United States has not developed adequate responses for dealing with hybrid groups like the Houthis.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Houthi War on Israel
If the Houthis are attacking Israel, their local rivals will be less inclined to attack them.
Is the End in Sight for the Yemen Conflict?
On October 26, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the prospects for the end of the conflict in Yemen.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Viability of a Partitioned Yemen: Challenges to a Houthi State
For all the Houthis’ success during the war, it is unclear if they can transition into an effective government.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Viability of a Partitioned Yemen: Challenges to a Southern State
Would South Yemen be a state for Southerners, or would it be the anti-Houthi Yemeni state?
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Seeds of Yemen’s Future Wars
Regardless of how or when the current conflict in Yemen ends, child soldiers are not simply going to disappear.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Growing Battle for South Yemen
Now that the war against the Houthis appears to be nearing an end, the head of the Southern Transitional Council is making his move to push for Southern independence.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Yemen’s Day After Problem
If the international community wants to ensure that Yemen’s war actually ends when the peace deal is signed, it needs to rebuild the country’s economy.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Saudi Arabia’s Big Bet in Yemen
Saudi Arabia is looking for an exit from Yemen. While a Saudi withdrawal is unlikely to end Yemen’s civil war, the Saudis are likely to proceed if Iran can keep the Houthis onside.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Evolving Iranian-Houthi Relationship Spells Trouble for Ending the Yemen Conflict
Iran has leverage, influence, and history with the Houthis. As Saudi Arabia tries to extract itself from Yemen, Tehran will utilize all three to prolong the conflict.
Publications content-type in which the post is published
From the Mountains, Into the Palace: The Houthis Won the War but Might Lose What Comes Next
The Houthis will be more vulnerable after the full withdrawal of Saudi and Emirati forces than they have been at any time during the war.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Yemen Conundrum
The United States wants to end the war in Yemen, but given its lack of leverage over the Houthis, the few policy options it does have will likely make the situation worse.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Why Yemen’s Truce Collapsed
At the moment, the Houthis believe they have more to gain from war than peace.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Shabwa and Cracks in the Foundation of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council
Recent fighting in Shabwa highlights lack of unity of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, threatening its ability to present a common front against the Houthis.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Art of the Possible in Yemen
If the United States wants to avoid a disaster scenario in Yemen, it should shift its focus from the failed attempt to resurrect a single Yemeni state to laying the groundwork for a divided Yemen.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Yemeni Truce and the Long Road Ahead
Yemen’s fragile truce is being extended, but there is still a massive amount of work needed to bring the conflict to an end.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Old Wine in New Skins: The Yemen Presidential Council
Yemen’s new presidential council was made in Saudi Arabia and backed by the UAE, which means it may struggle to find legitimacy on the ground.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Ramadan Cease-Fire in Yemen
An agreement is likely still a long way off in Yemen, but at least some of the parties are starting to talk, listen, and, ever so slowly, compromise.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The U.S., the Gulf, and Yemen: A Season of Frustration
Seven years since their intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE remain mired in a disaster, and they’ll need U.S. assistance to end the war.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The UAE’s Three Strategic Interests in Yemen
The length of the war and the associated costs have led the UAE to recalibrate its position in Yemen, but influence in southern Yemen remains a key part of its regional strategy.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
Under Pressure, the Houthis May Once Again Turn to Iran
If the Houthis believe their military offensive in Marib is in danger, they will likely look to the only real ally they have, Iran.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Beginning of the End for the Saudi-Led Coalition in Yemen
UAE, Saudi, and affiliated local forces have begun withdrawing from locations across southern and western Yemen; while couched as “redeployments,” together the moves suggest the Saudi-led coalition is actively looking for an exit strategy.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The United States’ Empty Toolbox in Yemen
With the Houthis making gains in their offensive on Marib, and anti-Houthi alliance fragmenting, the United States is out of options on Yemen.
Publications content-type in which the post is published
Seven Yemens: How Yemen Fractured and Collapsed, and What Comes Next
Yemen’s fragmentation will have severe repercussions for U.S. foreign policy, regional stability, and, ultimately, international security.
Can a New U.N. Envoy Produce Peace in Yemen?
On July 15, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the top issues and challenges facing the incoming United Nations special envoy for Yemen.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
A Grand Bargain for Yemen
The next U.N. special envoy for Yemen will be uniquely positioned to spearhead a grand bargain that might be the international community’s last chance to reconstitute Yemen as a single state.
With Renewed Efforts To End the War, What are the Prospects for Peace in Yemen?
On Wednesday April 28, AGSIW hosted a discussion on efforts to end the conflict in Yemen.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
The Great Fall: Putting Together Peace Talks for a Broken Yemen
With Yemen’s increasingly fractured political landscape, the longer the war continues, the harder it will be to resolve.
Blog Post content-type in which the post is published
How the U.S. Can Create Leverage With the Houthis in Yemen
The United States has at its disposal a number of diplomatic carrots and sticks that, if wielded effectively, could compel the Houthis to negotiate in order to end the war in Yemen.