German Magazine: Western Appeasement Policy Towards Houthi Militias Will Lead Yemen into the Unknown

The German magazine International Society and Politics (IPS) published an article warning that the international community’s policy of appeasement towards the Houthi militias will lead Yemen into the unknown.

The article's author, Constantine Grund, said that the Houthis' methods are very similar to the Taliban's methods, yet the West allows them to continue to determine the rules of the game, asking: What are the red lines?!

Article text:

In Houthi-controlled northwestern Yemen, some 60 local staff from international and aid organizations are currently being held – or rather abducted. Their whereabouts… are unknown. Their relatives… are being held in the dark. They are not allowed to contact lawyers or obtain medication. “They are cut off from the outside world,” as experts describe it.

Among those kidnapped are staff from the United Nations, embassies and humanitarian agencies who have been working for years to improve water supplies, decentralized governance and energy projects in Yemen.

While it is not uncommon for international staff to be arrested and sometimes harassed in other parts of the world, the wave of kidnappings by the Houthis in the capital, Sanaa, since May is unprecedented.

For years, the Houthis have been changing the rules of the game when it comes to what behavior is tolerated internationally. They escalate, they provoke, they attack. All according to a well-thought-out plan. It has now been ten years since the Houthis first occupied Sanaa.

Harassment, confiscations, arrests of political opponents, and the establishment of a veritable regime of terror against the country’s population began. Some things are reminiscent of the Taliban. Previous achievements such as a functioning parliament, freedom of the press, or universal schooling have since been systematically rolled back, often with the blame placed on alleged external opponents.

Instead of focusing on economic development for a country in ruins, new war taxes have been imposed; those who fail to pay them face imprisonment. Meanwhile, civil servants in Houthi-occupied territory have been waiting years for their salaries. Northwest Yemen is being systematically impoverished, with experts now estimating that some 90 percent of people there live in poverty. That’s a world record.

Escalation methods

The Houthis – as part of the so-called Axis of Resistance – have been deliberately disrupting shipping in the Red Sea since October 2023. Just this week they reportedly attacked the Greek oil tanker Sunion. At least 30 ships have been damaged by drone attacks, with two sinking.

The car carrier Galaxy Leader was also seized; it is now in the port of Hodeidah and can be visited for a $5 fee. The United States and EU partners have since invested in shipping safety measures in the Red Sea.

Kidnappings are not a new strategy for the Houthis: they kidnapped local workers before, in 2019 and 2023. But the intensification of these kidnappings has had a huge political impact in Yemen.

It is not so much the 60 individuals the Houthis are currently using as bargaining chips, but the doubts that have been raised about international partnerships as a whole. Yemenis working for international organizations face greater and greater risks with each passing month, not only in the north, but also in the south of the country under the control of the “legitimate government.”

turning point

The West is clearly concerned by the latest Houthi provocation, and has expressed its concerns, repeated its reminders, and stepped up its rhetoric. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg summed up the situation accurately and forcefully before the UN Security Council on 23 July 2024: “The development trajectory in Yemen [if left unaddressed] could reach a tipping point,” he said.

Yet, despite all the sentiment, the global response to the Houthis’ actions remains surprisingly moderate. What were once red lines have initially become rosy, before fading away completely.

In recent years, the international community has capitulated to every new demand made by the Houthis and routinely ignored their violations of individual freedoms or withheld international aid. People cannot be left to fend for themselves in these catastrophic economic and social conditions, but at the same time, we do not want to exclude the Houthis from the ongoing political dialogue, it seems. Despite all this escalation, the West has continued to show understanding for the Houthis and indirectly support them.

Appeasing the Houthis has only strengthened their power base and given them the impression that they are doing the right thing. They have been able to send envoys to international gatherings and use informal back channels to engage others in talks or negotiations on their behalf. This has led to even the smallest concrete agreements being routinely violated, while international partners remain silent.

This brings the Houthis closer to their ultimate goal: establishing their own state under their control. Yemen has been increasingly divided for the past 10 years now—not through political negotiations, as in the case of Sudan and South Sudan, but step by step at lower levels. Communication networks are being cut off, government offices are being split into north and south, social security systems are being divided, and the country’s unified banking and monetary system is being abandoned.

Even the STC representatives avoid using the term “Yemen.” We should not be surprised if there is a two-state or even a multi-state solution in the foreseeable future, without UN involvement. The international community has indirectly supported this for years through its policy of appeasement toward the Houthis.

International political observers have grown accustomed to confusion and growing chaos. Getting used to the unusual sometimes leads to accepting it. For Yemen, that means a tribal religious movement unifying into a state, while we watch Yemen slowly fall apart and drift into the unknown.

We can actively tolerate a country’s transition to another state of existence, provided we do not lose sight of the consequences. Otherwise, we can only stop this train through a massive diplomatic effort and a strong security policy.

But we need to restore these red lines to what they once were: clear starting points for a real foreign policy response that would make it easier to deal with the situation itself and muster the courage to do so. The 60 hijackers would certainly welcome a more proactive effort.