The Al-Houthi Movement in Yemen. A Social Movement Approach

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 1.3, University of Tubingen (Institute of Political Science), language: English, abstract: By 2018 the United Nations referred to the conflict as the 'worst man-made humanitarian crisis of our time' and simply a 'stupid war': overshadowed by the Syrian crisis, the civil war in Yemen was largely ignored by western media or simply referred to as a proxy-war between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, the essay shows that the situation on the ground witnesses a much greater complexity. A major civil war-party is the so-called 'al-Houthi movement' from northern Yemen. Surprisingly, the movement has transitioned from a peaceful social movement through a violent movement against President Saleh's regime, to a movement supporting the uprisings during the 'Arab Spring', holding national political power and seeking seats in a coalition-government. Taking into account their major role in the country's history, presence and possibly Yemen's future setup, this paper aims to go beyond the conventional explanations. It 'deorientalizes' the movement and sheds light on the Houthis as a social movement with particular aims, resources and constraints that are subject to change.