The role of the United Arab Emirates in the internationalization of the Yemeni conflict

Abstract

In 2011, tired of poverty and corruption, thousands of Yemenis mobilised to demand the departure of President Abdullah Saleh. After thirty years in power, Saleh signed his resignation, and an initially peaceful and promising political transition process began. However, the absence of real change and long-standing rivalries undermined the process, leading to civil conflict. The convulsive Yemeni reality became intertwined with dark regional geopolitics, marked by sectarianism and competition between different powers for hegemony. Undoubtedly, the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran was an important factor in the internationalisation of the conflict. However, researchers have overemphasised this rivalry, and few have considered the importance of the role of the United Arab Emirates, which in recent years has begun to play a key role in regional politics. Although it shares the enmity towards Iran, in Yemen it has shown autonomous and even competitive action with Riyadh, making Gulf geopolitics more complex. Given the centrality of the Yemeni conflict for the security and stability of the region, this analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the conflict from an International Relations perspective.