Mike Robinson is joined by Vanessa Beeley and, on his first appearance, Isa Blumi, Professor in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Stockholm University for episode 12 of the Syria Podcast. They discuss why Yemen remains so poorly understood in the West, and why its resistance matters far beyond its borders.
In this episode:
- Vanessa outlines the Saudi-led war launched in March 2015 at the request of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the plans to partition the country.
- Isa explains why academic and think-tank coverage reduces Yemen to tribalism and sectarianism, and who funds that research.
- Isa traces how the Gulf states became pillars of the petrodollar system, and why he believes their ruling families are now racing to consolidate assets.
- They discuss Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar compete with each other, and that competition shapes the fight over Yemen’s resource-rich regions.
- They discuss how Ansarullah has resisted far better-equipped forces through a largely intact former national army, captured weaponry, strong social cohesion and a push towards food self-sufficiency.
- Yemen acts on its own terms, and the panel discusses its place in the wider axis of resistance.
- Divided Western societies have much to learn from Yemeni solidarity.
They also cover the human cost of US, UK and Israeli bombing, the significance of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and why Isa sees Yemen as a warning about our own future.