Blog Post #1: The Introduction

     I chose Yemen as my country of focus because it is one of the newer established countries in the MENA region (1990). For context, Yemen was a part of the Ottoman Empire from the 1500s to the 1800s. Britain’s invasion of Aden sparked the divide between North and South Yemen. Even though the two areas converged in 1990, creating the Republic of Yemen, the areas have had unceasing tension because of competing religious ideologies (the Sunnis v. the Shia), the central government’s struggle to gain control over formerly autonomous tribes (i.e.. Zaydi), and the differences between conservatism in the north v. socialism in the south. The first civil war was in 1994, which resulted in the north winning and further disjunction between the north and the south. This conflict foreshadowed the strife between the areas that still prevail today; In 2003 and so forth the Houthis rebelled against the Yemeni government. 

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the MENA region primarily because of war but because of the pandemic as well. According to Framing the War in Yemen: Narratives of Aggressive Neighbours, Internal Extremism, and Humanitarian Crisis (the source which provides the contextual information above) “82% of the population needed humanitarian assistance” in 2016 (Vis). Post-pandemic, there has been trouble funding the UN’s humanitarian aid which affects most of the population.  

Yemen’s population and GDP have never had a direct relationship. To put things into perspective, Yemen has one of the largest populations compared to its neighboring countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, excluding Saudi Arabia, and the lowest GDP. The pandemic has only intensified this connection—these are numbers from 2021. 

 

Created using the World Bank Data 

If you’d like to find out more about other pandemic’s influences (ie. reduced purchasing power, food insecurity) on Yemeni citizens check out Yemen’s triple emergency: Food crisis amid a civil war and COVID-19 pandemic. Since I briefly mentioned food insecurity, I think it’s also important to note that Yemeni citizens do not have easily accessible water and energy. Ever since 2014, this is typical because of fallen reform systems and poor infrastructure.  

Resource: Conflict Resilience of Water and Energy Supply Infrastructure: Insights from Yemen 

Because most of my discussions will be centered around media, let’s introduce Yemeni media. Yemen’s limited finances prevents media companies from being able to fund fact-checking and long-term investigations. Yemeni media focuses on the consequences of war, especially on education. Social media fosters an open line of communication for protestors, however, there is often miscommunication. Like the US, media overall contributes to polarization between the opposing sides. If you would like to find out more information about Yemeni media check out The Role of the Media in Peace building in Yemen or my coming blog posts. I will also be checking how neighboring countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman (and possibly Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar) discuss Yemen’s status too. 

 

Link to Image 

 

While all these issues listed above (ie. conflict, food and water insecurity, and poverty) are clear threats to the Yemeni population, it is important to mention a potential oil spill that could be caused by an abandoned tanker in the Red Sea. If the abandoned tanker explodes, breaks up, or sinks this would “create a humanitarian crisis as severe as the one caused by the Houthi insurgency.” I will continue to follow this news as the weeks progress to see if there is any urgency being directed towards this issue from Yemeni media. 

Resource: Saudi Arabia warns UN of oil in Red Sea near abandoned tanker