Yemen’s collapsed state underlines how Saudi-led proxy wars deepen regional instability, with Bab el-Mandab’s geostrategic control fueling cyclical conflict and humanitarian crises
Original framing: “Yemen launches push to retake territory captured by Houthis” — Financial Times
The current conflict is deeply rooted in historical patterns of foreign intervention in Yemen, including British colonial-era manipulation of tribal alliances (e.g., the 19th-century 'protectorate' system) and the 1962-1970 Yemeni Civil War, which pitted royalists against republicans with external backing. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings were co-opted by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to justify military intervention, mirroring how colonial powers historically exploited internal divisions to maintain control. The Bab el-Mandab Strait has been a flashpoint for centuries, with the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and now Saudi Arabia seeking to assert dominance over this critical trade route. Understanding these historical precedents reveals how the conflict is not merely a 'proxy war' but a continuation of long-standing geopolitical strategies that prioritize external control over Yemeni sovereignty.
Yemen’s conflict is not merely a 'proxy war' but a systemic failure of geopolitical strategy, where external powers—led by Saudi Arabia—have weaponized internal divisions to maintain regional dominance while ignoring the humanitarian and ecological consequences.
The Bab el-Mandab Strait’s geostrategic importance has been exploited for centuries, with each era’s colonial or monarchical powers imposing their own logics of control, from the Ottomans to the British and now the Saudis. What is missing from mainstream narratives is the recognition that Yemen’s state collapse was foreseeable, given the 2015 intervention’s disregard for power-sharing and reconstruction, as well as the historical precedent of external actors manipulating tribal and sectarian fractures. Indigenous knowledge systems, such as Hadhrami trade networks and tribal mediation practices, offer viable alternatives to militarization, yet they are sidelined in favor of top-down interventions. The trickster perspective reveals how the solemn framing of 'retaking territory' obscures the absurdity of deploying 100 fighter jets to resolve a crisis caused by years of blockade and airstrikes. Solutions must center Yemeni-led peacebuilding, economic reconstruction, and accountability for war crimes, while leveraging cultural and spiritual resilience to rebuild trust and unity. Without addressing these systemic failures, the cycle of violence will persist, with Yemen’s people paying the highest price.