Building an enduring peace in Yemen : lessons from five years of RAND research / Daniel Egel [and three others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Egel, Daniel, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Peace-building--Yemen (Republic).

Peace-building.

Politics and government.

Yemen (Republic)--History--Civil War, 2015-.

Yemen (Republic).

Yemen (Republic)--Politics and government--21st century.

Genre:

History.

Other Title:

Building an Enduring Peace in Yemen

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2021

Summary:

Yemen's civil war, in its sixth year as of 2021, has killed more than 250,000 people and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. It has become a proxy war between the Iranian-supported Houthis, United Arab Emirates–supported southern separatists, and the Saudi-supported internationally recognized government of Yemen. Despite years of United Nations–brokered negotiations, the antagonists have become increasingly entrenched and their positions seemingly irreconcilable. Time and again, negotiated cease-fires have proved unsustainable and once-promising confidence-building measures have failed to change the status quo, let alone achieve an enduring peace. In this report, the authors trace the origins of the conflict, diagnose its costs, identify the underlying drivers of local conflict and mediation mechanisms, and describe how political influence, economic interests, and military ties have shaped the roles of key actors in the peace process. This analysis draws on five years of RAND Corporation research, including an expansive data collection effort in Yemen that assessed national conflict dynamics, regional influence networks, and local drivers of conflict and sources of resiliency, as well as 200 interviews with key military, government, community, and tribal actors across Yemen. This research offers clear recommendations for ending the cycle of violence, failed peace talks, and broken promises. An enduring peace requires a coordinated international approach to security and the formation of an international body with the influence, mission, and resources to support what will be a decades-long process of reconciliation, reconstruction, and redevelopment.

Contents:

CHAPTER 1. Introduction

CHAPTER 2. Yemen's Civil War: A Tale of Economic and Political Inequality

Phase 1: The Prelude to Civil War (1978-2011)

Phase 2: A Failed Democratic Process (2011-2014)

Phase 3: Civil War and Political Infighting (2014-Present)

Phase 4: A Struggling Peace Process (2015-Present)

CHAPTER 3. The Uneven Costs of the Conflict

Elites Have Prospered Amid the Fighting

Humanitarian Impacts

CHAPTER 4. The Unresolved Southern Question: Political and Economic Challenges to Peacebuilding

The Rise of the South and the Collapse of the Coalition

Shifting Loyalties, Competing Interests, and Divisions Within the South

Actor Mapping and Lessons for Peacebuilding

CHAPTER 5. Local Conflict Drivers and Mediation Practices: Challenges to an Enduring Peace

Land Rights, Natural Resources, and Conflict in Yemen

Absence of Formal Mediation Mechanisms

Informal Conflict Resolution During Civil War

How Local Conflict Can Threaten National Peace

CHAPTER 6. A Framework for Building an Enduring Peace

A Phased Approach to Peace

Management and Coordination: The Role of the International Community.