Posted on 12/31/2018 9:53:53 PM PST by BeauBo
Al Jazeera spoke to Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthi rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, about the ceasefire in Hodeidah, his movement's relationship with Iran, and the Houthis' endgame in Yemen.
(Excerpt) Read more at aljazeera.com ...
The Iranian supported Houthi rebels are turning over control of the ports to the UN, which will choke off their supply of heavy weapons and ammo, as well as revenue. No more long range missiles to fire into Saudi Arabia.
Peace talks continue in January over setting up a reconciled National Government.
I’ve been keeping up with the disintegration of Venezuela,
and the tragic but deliberate dismantling Germany as it was once known, but I have no idea what’s going on in Yemen.
I do hear from time to time, that America has been ‘at war’ in Yemen for the last few years. For what and at whose behest? Neither party speaks of it very much at all. Yemen must have some strategic value for the giant countries, such as the USA, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
I’ve not heard Mr. Trump mention it directly either.
Interesting
Thanks.
You’re welcome. I don’t know that site well, but hopefully it helps you out a little.
Happy New Year.
Iran can threaten the Persian Gulf directly with naval and air power. If they had a foothold in Yemen, naval forces and groud based missiles could threaten shipping coming from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. This would give Iran the option to completely cut off Saudi Arabia from access to the Indian Ocean and their main shipping routes. For the Saudis to fight the Houthis is in their national interest.
Very complicated. At least to me.
When speaking of the Middle East countries, it’s like speaking of a skeleton, where every individual country is but a small part of the entire form. Quite different than in most of the western world.
I’m that much more pleased that we will soon be pulling most of our men out of those areas. I know there will continue to be some sort of presence, just to monitor. We need some of that money here to build the wall and replace infrastructure.
Yours is officially the last thread of 2018.
Happy New Year!
Thank your for the post.
Relevant to Syria delays.
The Arabs are meant to be ruled, by Turks (preferably), Persians (if the Turks crap out), or in the last resort by Russians.
We are backing the wrong horse in “Saudi” Arabia. If MBS was really Jared Kushner’s idea, it was brilliant only if you accept that devising some strategy to enable Israel to survive was a prime national interest of the US. Obviously, Turkish or Persian rule over Arabia is adverse to Israel’s long-term interests.
But it’s hard to see SA making it in the long run, especially with Kamala Harris (or someone like her) in the White House.
We have been providing support to Saudis and Emiratis for the last four years, while they (and their mercenaries) have done the fighting.
Yemen has long been troubled by factionalism. For many years it was divided into two countries, one of them Marxist.
Saudi Arabia shares a long border with Yemen (8 hour drive to Mecca), and has long had lots of Yemenis working and intermarried in Saudi Arabia (the bin Ladens are of Yemeni origin). Also, Saudi Arabia had a long and costly war there before, which is viewed as their “Vietnam”.
Iran took the side of the Houthis in Yemen (who are kind of Shi’ite muslims - their own kind of thing). THey managed to capture the capital city and overrun most of the country. The National Government (led by Hadi), hung on by a thread in the Southern port city of Aden, when the Saudis came to their rescue, and gradually pushed the Houthis back with superior weaponry and air supremacy.
Yemen has vital strategic importance to the Saudis - it represented the Iranians potentially encircling them from the North (Iraq and Syria) and South. To the world at large, Yemen is strategic in its control of the shipping lanes choke point at the South of the Red Sea (Bab el Mandeb), through which Middle East oil flows to Europe through the Suez canal at the North end of the Red Sea.
Bottom line is that the Houthis have been beaten back enough that it is looking like they will make a deal to settle the conflict, and Iranian influence will be diminished. The loss of the ports is the main strategic prize in the war - the Capital City is unsustainable without supply through the ports Saudi coalition blocks aerial resupply.
“the last thread of 2018.”
...on a note of a war coming to an end, and a victory for the American side.
“When speaking of the Middle East countries, it’s like speaking of a skeleton”
It is often said of the Arabic speaking countries that only Egypt is a nation - the rest are really more tribal in their outlook.
That was a clear and concise explanation for someone like myself, unstudied on the topic. Now I get it.
What do you mean by “If MBS was really Jared Kushner’s idea”? Obama got the U.S. involved in Yemen’s civil war, not Trump.
The houthis belong to the Zayidi sect of Shia Islam -- this is quite different from the 12-er sect of Shia Islam that Iran follows (12-er means they believe the first 12 imams were divinely guided and the 13th is the Mahdi)
Zayidis are closer to Hanbali Sunni Muslims in their interpretation of leadership and the divine origin of the Quran
But Wahabbis believe that the Quran was NOT created -- in most of Islam the Quran is consider the WORD of God = Jesus. Yes, the Quran is not the Muslim equivalent of the Bible but is the Muslim equivalent of Jesus. The Quran as per 99.95% of Muslims (0.05% are quranists) was/is uncreated and is very word of Allah dictated word for word to Mo. This is why burning a Quran for them is much more than burning a Bible is for us -- to them it is like someone was burning Jesus would be to us
the current war is Saudis play for power and they are failing
True about the Tribal piece, especially Saudia which is the Al-Sauds empire. Ditto for the rest of the Arabian peninsula. And also for libya, algeria and to some extent Morocco
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.