Publication

This paper examines the political crisis in Yemen following the Houthi movement’s take-over of the country's capital and President Hadi’s flight to Aden in 2014. In general, the author contends that the country's political transition, supported by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, is in danger of breaking up as a result of two opposing forces: the Houthis on one side and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the so-called Islamic State on the other. The author also contends that the capital Sana'a and Aden are operating as two competing centers of power, and that they are acting as poles for the regional tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.