A USIP Fact Sheet
Yemen’s regionalized civil war has divided the country, destroyed its meager infrastructure and created one the worst humanitarian crises in the world. From the start, it has been connected to a regional competition between Saudi Arabia (which has supported the internationally backed Yemeni government) and Iran (which has supported the Houthis). A U.N.-backed truce in 2022 brought relative calm to internal frontlines and, with help from the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia, the U.N. made progress toward a roadmap agreement to end the war. This progress was upended by the Gaza war in 2023, as the Houthis attacked Israel and international shipping through the Red Sea corridor. Houthi attacks, including on commercial shipping and U.S. naval assets, frayed international support for a peace deal that would see resources flow to the group and have set the country on different trajectory.
USIP’s Work
USIP’s Yemen program provides advice to U.S. policymakers on addressing threats posed by the Houthis, including to Red Sea maritime security, and for finding a path back to a stable and durable settlement in Yemen. USIP provides a platform to bring together U.S. policymakers with Yemeni officials, academics and experts to explore these issues. We track and analyze developments in Yemen through extensive networks of field-based contacts throughout Yemen and in the Gulf states. USIP also provides analysis on Yemen through published articles and media engagements.