Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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Saudi Arabia’s security is contingent on Yemen’s stability and economic prosperity. As such, Riyadh should help revive Yemen’s moribund economy, in both the borderlands and the inland agricultural sector.
Border markets on Yemen’s northwestern border with Saudi Arabia gave rise to a distinct economic system and bridged communities. Yet the war in Yemen has either destroyed them or forced their closure.
Mahra in eastern Yemen has relied on a tribal code of conduct to escape the worst excesses of the country’s civil war. Localized forms of conflict management could help the rest of Yemen too.
The United States, Russia, and Iran have chosen markedly different approaches to security assistance in the Middle East, with dramatic implications for statebuilding and stability.
The Arab states in transition are confronted with a seemingly intractable task: rebuilding state institutions and social contracts in an era of global change. Conventional approaches to security sector reform that fail to grasp the dilemmas and challenges complicating this effort are certain to fail.
Libya and Yemen will not reemerge as sovereign states without resolving fundamental struggles over the purpose and form of their security sectors.
National guards are no panacea for the challenge of building effective states, but they can play an important role in addressing security concerns and moving toward more effective power sharing.
Tribal governance and conflict resolution traditions will play a part in helping to ease tensions and mitigate conflicts that will arise as Yemen moves toward political transition.
A capable and legitimate state is even more essential to Yemen’s economic future than the presence of natural resources.
The violent jihad advocated by al-Qaeda is not widely accepted by Yemenis at this point, and there is a small window of opportunity to take steps to undermine al-Qaeda’s influence.