Introduction: Actors and Dynamics

“At this time, it is highly uncertain if and how Yemen can emerge from the current events as a more stable and functioning country.” Maria-Louise Clausen concludes her article analysing the crisis in Yemen as such. This phrase summarises the central problem of the Yemeni conflict: the complexity and deep-rooted tensions between the numerous actors makes it very difficult to predict its outcome and the future of the country.
The course of the conflict itself, whose origin is usually found in the democratic popular protest movement of 2011, cannot be summarised in a few sentences. Indeed, different clashes between different actors are taking place simultaneously in the south and north of Yemen. Similarly, the clashes are the result of previous tensions, notably the 1994 civil war between north and south, and the civil war between republicans and royalists in 1962 which led to the deepening of these rifts.
In addition, as the Yemeni conflict has developed and escalated, international actors have also intervened, supporting different parties and thus contributing to the increased complexity of the conflict.
Attempts of schematizing the conflict have been made, one of which can be seen below.

This part of the platform seeks to shed light on the extent to which the different actors are influencing the conflict in Yemen. A clear and detailed overview of the different actors involved in the Yemeni conflict as of 2011, commonly considered as outbreak of the violence, will be given. Two types of actors will be analysed: First, the actors at the national level such as the Houthis, the Transitional Government or the Southern Movement will be in the focus. Then, international actors such as Saudi Arabia and Iran will be studied. Finally, to make this work more comprehensive, the dynamics at play between the actors will be introduced and explained in depth. 

Keywords: Grievance, Alliance, Religion, Politics, Socio-Economical Relations