Yemen: Threatened with Destruction

There will be no winners in the ongoing war in Yemen, perhaps with the exception of al-Qa’ida and similar organizations that thrive on destruction and disarray. The war in Yemen is rapidly turning from a proxy war into direct regional war and this represents a disaster for the entire region, not solely for Yemen. It threatens with destabilizing the fragile balance and spreading chaos, infighting and destruction. Regardless of the form it assumes, if this war does indeed take place, it will not re-enforce the influence of Iran on the one hand, or the influence of western-backed Saudi Arabia and Turkey on the other. Rather, it will buttress the theory of the Islamic State regarding the corruption and callousness of the ruling elite. This will enable it to exploit the needs/aspirations of the young generations across the region to build a different model of political governance and social interactions. But as shown by the revolutionary movements in Egypt and Tunisia as well as Yemen, this ambitious young generation never aspired for IS.The revolutionary movements they led were repressed and hijacked for the interest of resurrecting the old, corrupt, and bankrupt regimes. The Islamic State is a direct consequence of this abortion/frustration and the blind sectarian polarization that continues to get stronger.