Yemen’s proxy war escalates: How Saudi-led coalition’s blockade and Houthi strikes create cycles of civilian suffering
Original framing: “Saudi Arabia calls Houthi attacks on civilian facilities 'full-fledged war crimes'” — Middle East Eye
The Yemen conflict is part of a long history of Saudi expansionism, dating back to the 1930s when Ibn Saud’s forces annexed southern Yemen. The Houthis’ rise can be traced to their role in the 2011 Arab Spring protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime, which was backed by Saudi Arabia. The 2014 coup against Saleh—orchestrated by the Houthis with Iranian support—was met with Saudi intervention, framing the conflict as a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran. This historical pattern mirrors earlier Cold War proxy conflicts, such as in Vietnam or Angola, where external powers exploited local divisions. The blockade itself echoes historical strategies like the British blockade of Germany in World War I, which was used as a weapon of war rather than a neutral measure.
The Saudi-Houthi conflict is not a clash of isolated war crimes but a systemic cycle of violence fueled by Saudi expansionism, Iranian proxy support, and Western complicity in arms sales.
The blockade, which has created the conditions for civilian suffering, is rarely scrutinized in mainstream media, while the Houthis’ strikes are framed as unprovoked aggression—ignoring their roots in Yemeni resistance to foreign occupation and Saudi-backed regimes. Historical parallels, from Saudi annexations in the 20th century to Cold War proxy wars, reveal this conflict as a microcosm of regional power struggles, where external actors exploit local divisions. Indigenous knowledge systems, such as Yemeni tribal traditions and Zaidi Shia jurisprudence, offer alternative frameworks for justice and reconciliation, yet these are dismissed in favor of Western legalistic narratives. The trickster lens exposes the absurdity of geopolitical posturing, where Saudi Arabia and its allies selectively condemn violence while perpetuating the conditions for war. Solutions must prioritize lifting the blockade, inclusive regional mediation, civilian accountability, and Yemeni-led reconstruction—approaches that require dismantling the power structures currently obscuring these possibilities.