Paul, to an otherwise excellent summary I would add the following comments.
1) The Houthis are not “sort of Shi’a.” They have practiced Zaidiyyah or “Fivers” Shi’ism since AD 893 when tribal leaders in Yemen‘s northern highlands invited a Shi‘a Zaidi Imam, al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā, to arbitrate a dispute among them.
2) One should be careful in assuming close bonds of Shi’s fraternalism between the Houthis and the Iranians. The Houthis are “Fivers”; the Iranians practice Ithnā ʿAsharī, or “Twelvers” Shiʿism. The Houthis are Arab; the Iranians are Persian. These religious and ethnic fracture points will always be present and must be factored into any analysis of Houthi-Iranian rapprochement.
3) Another additional factor, based on the history of Yemen beginning with the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century, is the psychological mix of Houthi entitlement, persecution, hubris, oppression, and discrimination based on the waxing and waning of their political fortunes over the past 500 years. The ongoing Yemeni civil war, sparked by the overthrow and assassination of Ali Abdallah Saleh in December 2017 is just a continuation of this ongoing narrative.
Terrific additions to the article my friend. Yes, I am in agreement. I simply took the lazy route not wishing to add so much to an already too long article. This is very much appreciated.
If you are interested, would you care to write a bit more on this as a guest author?
Yikes my friend, how did I miss this opportunity? My apologies.
Yes, the land is rich in history, faith, culture and their impacts on the strategic level, from the very beginning. How to distill this into an article, I will leave to your expertise but my main focus, as a guide is what role that the Houthis play now, based on the intersection of faiths and cultures.
The length is to your liking. As a hint for when I write long reports is to include links to the supporting background in order to keep the actual minutes of reading to what allows someone to not simply skip the article. Still, your call.
You are right, my friend, for such a relatively small country, Yemen is rich in history and historical import, even though their Arabic brethren treat them like the proverbial "red-headed stepchild." (Not as bad as the Palestinians, but close.) The origins of today's Houthi contretemps stretches back to the 9th century and is a tale of entitlement, persecution, xenophobia, and paranoia. It has not helped the Houthi psyche that they have alternately been ignored by their neighbors or have been at the center of world power competition. The former (and now deceased) President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar, once described governing Yemen as "dancing on the heads of snakes." Given the current state of affairs in Yemen this remains an apt metaphor.
So with this as prelude, how would you like me to continue?
BTW, we need to do breakfast sometime soon. Next week is not good for us but how about the week after next?
Yes, late in the following week will be perfect. I'll text for a time and day. What you described above seems to me an abstract to go forward with. Now those "snakes" bite from the wings of fighter aircraft and naval ship to shore armaments. It would be daunting but an informed peek into how all of the this ends for the Houthis and Yemen would be a "nice to have" output.
Paul, to an otherwise excellent summary I would add the following comments.
1) The Houthis are not “sort of Shi’a.” They have practiced Zaidiyyah or “Fivers” Shi’ism since AD 893 when tribal leaders in Yemen‘s northern highlands invited a Shi‘a Zaidi Imam, al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā, to arbitrate a dispute among them.
2) One should be careful in assuming close bonds of Shi’s fraternalism between the Houthis and the Iranians. The Houthis are “Fivers”; the Iranians practice Ithnā ʿAsharī, or “Twelvers” Shiʿism. The Houthis are Arab; the Iranians are Persian. These religious and ethnic fracture points will always be present and must be factored into any analysis of Houthi-Iranian rapprochement.
3) Another additional factor, based on the history of Yemen beginning with the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century, is the psychological mix of Houthi entitlement, persecution, hubris, oppression, and discrimination based on the waxing and waning of their political fortunes over the past 500 years. The ongoing Yemeni civil war, sparked by the overthrow and assassination of Ali Abdallah Saleh in December 2017 is just a continuation of this ongoing narrative.
Terrific additions to the article my friend. Yes, I am in agreement. I simply took the lazy route not wishing to add so much to an already too long article. This is very much appreciated.
If you are interested, would you care to write a bit more on this as a guest author?
Certainly -- what specific themes or topics?
Yemen is an ancient land with a rich and dramatic history so many tales are possible.
Yikes my friend, how did I miss this opportunity? My apologies.
Yes, the land is rich in history, faith, culture and their impacts on the strategic level, from the very beginning. How to distill this into an article, I will leave to your expertise but my main focus, as a guide is what role that the Houthis play now, based on the intersection of faiths and cultures.
The length is to your liking. As a hint for when I write long reports is to include links to the supporting background in order to keep the actual minutes of reading to what allows someone to not simply skip the article. Still, your call.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul,
You are right, my friend, for such a relatively small country, Yemen is rich in history and historical import, even though their Arabic brethren treat them like the proverbial "red-headed stepchild." (Not as bad as the Palestinians, but close.) The origins of today's Houthi contretemps stretches back to the 9th century and is a tale of entitlement, persecution, xenophobia, and paranoia. It has not helped the Houthi psyche that they have alternately been ignored by their neighbors or have been at the center of world power competition. The former (and now deceased) President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar, once described governing Yemen as "dancing on the heads of snakes." Given the current state of affairs in Yemen this remains an apt metaphor.
So with this as prelude, how would you like me to continue?
BTW, we need to do breakfast sometime soon. Next week is not good for us but how about the week after next?
V/R
Doc B
Yes, late in the following week will be perfect. I'll text for a time and day. What you described above seems to me an abstract to go forward with. Now those "snakes" bite from the wings of fighter aircraft and naval ship to shore armaments. It would be daunting but an informed peek into how all of the this ends for the Houthis and Yemen would be a "nice to have" output.
Thursday, 8 February, works for me.