Divide and Rule: Understanding Insecurity in Yemen

Abstract

Yemen is one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the world. Though its formation can be linked to the rise of pan-Arabism and associated Yemeni calls for national self-determination in the 1970s and 1980s, the country today is deeply fragmented. Culturally, politically and economically, there is a huge divide between tribal and non-tribal Yemeni communities, between Northerners and Southerners and between urban and rural areas. These differences have fragmented Yemeni society along competing allegiances, in which nationalism takes a back seat to tribal identity or political affiliation. In order to reconcile these differences under a single, unified state, Yemen has, as of 2014, adopted a new federal governance model. However, this new model has been insufficiently adapted to local and national socio-political dynamics and interactions. As such, it is unlikely to bring about lasting and sustainable peace.