War and Humanitarian Crisis in

Yemen

Anna Sutterer

Jonah McKeown Federico Maccioni

Tomás Orihuela

1. Booked and confirmed guests. 2. Issue summary. 3. Key points of controversy and contention. 4. Must-read articles. 5. Pre-Interviews. 6. Organization of the show.

1. Booked and confirmed guests

Guest One: Akshaya Kumar Official Job Title: Deputy United Nations Director at Human Rights Watch. Advocacy with members of the General Assembly and the Security Council, and other UN organs and agencies. Location: New York City E-mail address: kumara@hrw.org Twitter: @akshayasays Phone numbers: 212.216.1287, 347.448.1278 Skype username: akshaya.kumar

Guest Two: Laura Kasinof Official Job Title: Former freelance reporter for NYT in Sanaa. Writer. Location: Berlin, Germany E-mail address: kasinof@gmail.com Twitter: @kasinof Phone numbers: +49 176 355 17257 Skype username: kasinof

Guest Three: Sama'a Al-Hamdani Official Job Title: Yemeniaty, independent writer, researcher & analyst. Focused on Yemeni politics and woman affairs Location: Washington D.C. E-mail address: samaa.alhamdani@yemeniaty.com, samaa.alhamdani@gmail.com Twitter: @SamaaAlhamdani Phone numbers: +1(646)223-0619 Skype username: samaaalhamdani

Guest Four: Nabeel Khoury Official Job Title: Senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Location: Norfolk, VA E-mail address: doctorkh@hotmail.com Twitter: @khoury_nabeel Phone numbers: 202-280-3872 Skype username: doctorkh1

2. Issue Summary

Yemen has historically been split culturally and ideologically between the North and the South

and in many more minute tribal factions. It is also the second most heavily armed country in the world

(after the US), and one of the poorest countries in the Middle East. The country is in the midst of a civil

war with Shia rebels known as the Houthis (or Al Houthi), founded by Hussein Badr Eddin al-Houthi,

who are currently loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, against government forces led by

current President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Local tribes and an eight nation coalition led by Saudi

Arabia also support the current government. The coalition includes Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab

Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal and Sudan.

United Nations-sponsored peace talks failed in August, and president Hadi rejected a recent

U.N.-sponsored deal. The U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, drew up a peace

deal that supposedly (details haven’t yet been released) addresses sequenced Houthi withdrawals

from the key cities of Sanaa, Taiz and Hodeidah, as well as concerns the Houthis and their allies

have about fair representation and governance. Saleh has expressed support for the deal while Hadi

strongly rejected it. On Monday, Hadi said the plan “rewards” the Houthis and Saleh for overthrowing

him and would pave the way for more conflict in the future.

Former president Saleh was forced to step down amid protests during the Arab Spring in 2012,

but much of the rebel forces remain loyal to him and want power for him and for his son, Ahmed, who is

the head of the government-loyal Republican Guard. The Houthis have demanded greater share of power

in the federal government, but it is unclear what their objectives are beyond this. The former US

ambassador to Yemen (who we interviewed) said in his view the Houthis are seeking greater government

representation, greater control of the North as well as port and sea access. The Houthis overran the

capital, Sanaa, in February 2015 and Hadi fled to the city of Aden. Houthi leader Mohammed al-Houthi

now heads an internationally unrecognized interim government in Sanaa. Many have deemed the war in

Yemen as a “proxy war” between Saudi Arabia and Iran, although Iran’s level of involvement with

the Houthi rebels is not entirely clear.

Up to 80% of Yemen's population, 21 million people, is in urgent need of humanitarian

assistance and the country is on the brink of famine. While no side has clean hands in the conflict, there

have been many reports of the Saudi coalition using US-made cluster bombs, as well as “double tap”

strike methods— striking civilian areas and then striking again later to kill rescue workers and mourners.

The coalition famously bombed a funeral ceremony in Sanaa on Oct. 8, killing 140 people, and injuring

500 more (although the coalition denies responsibility). Conditions for children and families are

particularly bad; there are even reports of children being recruited as soldiers on the Houthi side. Reports

from the UN hold Saudi Arabia and its coalition responsible for about half of the attacks on schools and

hospitals and 60 percent of the nearly 2,000 children killed and injured in the conflict. Despite these

figures, the Saudi coalition lobbied heavily to get their country removed from the UN’s “List of

Shame” by threatening to withdraw funding for other UN humanitarian programs.

Cholera is also a growing problem in the country, especially in the de facto capital Aden.

Cholera is contracted from contaminated food or water. Dire water shortages throughout the country are

leading to an increase in poverty and forcing people to drink bad water. Aden is currently being rebuilt,

after months of destruction following in-fighting and Saudi-led coalition airstrikes when it was invaded

by Houthi militias and forces loyal to former president Saleh last year.

The US military is against the Houthi rebels in the country; the Houthis’ slogan is "God is great,

death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.” The US recently launched

airstrikes in retaliation to failed missile attacks on the destroyer USS Mason, which represented

Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Houthis denied involvement in the strike on the US destroyer.

Although the US has condemned airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition, they continue to sell billions

of dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, their ally, and refuel Saudi jets that carry out these

airstrikes. Just recently the US congress approved a $1billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia that would

have replenished some of their stockpiles used in Yemen.

3. Key points of controversy and contention

● Civil War:

○ Bombings in Sana’a: The air bombings in the capital have caused 140 deaths and

more than 500 injured. Most are thought to have been committed by a military

coalition from Saudi Arabia. The coalition, which includes also Morocco, Egypt,

Qatar, Kuwait, Sudan, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Senegal, denies

responsibility. UN monitors recommended that the Security Council consider

asking members of the Saudi-led coalition to stop using "double tap" attacks.

○ In particular, on October 8, two bombs impacted in a ceremonial hall where

hundreds of people were honoring the death of Jalal al-Ruwaishan, Interior

Minister’s father and supporter of the Houthi rebels. Also the mayor of Sana’a,

Abdel Qader Hilal, was among the victims. The Coalition stated that they were

aware of the informations and are sure that the explosions were caused by other

factors.

○ Violations committed by Houthis: A UN report has concluded that the rebels

have used civilians as shields to avoid attacks, by concealing fighters and

equipment in areas with relatively highly population density. According to the

UN, by April 20, 2016, there have been 762 verified documented cases of child

soldier recruitment, 72% of which have contributed to enlarge Houthi militia.

● Humanitarian Issues:

○ Poverty: Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and the war is

contributing to worsen the condition of a country that had already to deal with

problems like high population growth, severe urban-rural imbalances, food and

water scarcity, female illiteracy, widespread poverty, and economic stagnation.

○ 3.2 million people had to move from their homes and others 200,000 are refugees.

UAE and Saudi Arabia have been providing aid, the former in monetary form to

help fight cholera and the latter by providing food. King Salman Center for Relief

and Humanitarian Aids began distributing 30,000 baskets of food supplies to

needy families in the Hudaydah province in Yemen.

○ Attempts to control the Central Bank of the country by both foes are further

worsening the crisis, by eroding its cash reserves and decreasing food availability.

Yemen imports more than 90 percent of its food and running short of cash, the

bank has been forced to shed its guarantees of vital staples like rice and sugar.

○ Food Insecurity: Almost 14.4 million, about ⅕ of the country’s population, are

considered food insecure. Seven million more are in an emergency situation, and

according to the UN World Food Programme, half of Yemen’s 22 provinces are

about to suffer from famine. Access to food has been diminished by Saudi-led air

raids, for example through the destruction of a main bridge connecting port city

Hodeidah to Sana’a (a bridge that allowed 90% of the UNWFP aid bring food,

fuel and other essentials.

○ Starving children: Yemen has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in

the world. Because of the worsening of the war, 370,000 children are now

malnourished and 1.5 million other are going hungry. The health system, like in

the case of Houthi-controlled city Taiz, is about to collapse and can’t provide

these children with appropriate treatment.

○ Cholera: Health authorities in Yemen confirmed a cholera outbreak at the

beginning of October. At least 7.6 million people are estimated to be living in

affected and at-risk areas. Because of poor sanitation conditions, especially in the

communities hosting large number of internally displaced people, the situation is

likely to worsen if the conflict continues.

○ Weapons: According to Aish Awas, a security expert at government-funded

Sheba Center for Strategic Studies, "acquiring weapons is part and parcel of the

Yemeni culture historically, and over time it tends to be part of the Yemeni's

identity." Data show that in a comparison of the rate of private gun ownership in

178 countries, Yemen ranked at No. 2, with 54.8 firearms per 100 people.

○ Washington, London and Paris have been financing the Gulf Coalition, whereas

Iran has in the last few months stepped up weapons transfers to the Houthis. The

transfers include missiles and small arms, which are believed to reach Yemen also

through smuggling across the Omani border, even if authorities at Muscat deny

the fact.

● International, Regional Involvement:

○ Apparently, the U.S. doesn’t want to be involved in another Middle Eastern

conflict, since is already concerned with the Syrian war. Washington has

denounced the air-raids and strategies used by the coalition against the Houthis,

but still finances its ally Saudi Arabia with more than $1 billion in weapons and

fuel for the jets used in the raids.

○ Scholars and officials consider the conflict in Yemen as a proxy war between

Saudi Arabia and Iran for the control of the region. Saudi Arabia went to war

against the Houthis and is not likely to abandon the conflict before the return to

power of President Hadi. On the other side, Iran feels strengthened by the nuclear

agreement with Washington and the abolition of economic sanctions. It supports

the Houthis with weapons and is now trying to expand its influence not only to

Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, but also to the Arabian Peninsula.

○ Overall, the international involvement in Yemen’s internal conflict has not

promoted Yemeni health, but escalated the militarism. Our guests believe it’s time

for the U.S. to step up and promote diplomacy.

4. Must-read articles

1. Behind the lines: Tremor in Yemen (October 22nd, 2016)

The Jerusalem Post

The piece analyses the attacks against the US warships in the straits of Bab el-Mandeb, putting in

evidence the role of Iran in the Yemeni conflict. Two missiles have been fired, on October 9 and

12, at US navy destroyer USS Mason. They were launched from the part of territory controlled

by the Houthis, which are supported by Tehran. The missiles, produced in Iran, have been

considered a form of retaliation for the attack conducted by the Saudi coalition on October 8,

which have killed more than 140 people in Sana’a. Ansar Allah’s leader denied the attacks were

carried by the Houthis, but he then accused Washington of helping the Saudis in their air-raids.

US forces responded by targeting three coastal radar sites controlled by the Houthis, a rebel

group that in spite of the ties with Teheran, still has room of independent maneuver. However,

their raids couldn’t have been possible without the technical expertise provided by Iran, and they

show a decrease of US deterrence credibility in this regional context and an increasing Iranian

willpower to expand its influence. (190 words)

2. Yemen: the graveyard of the Obama doctrine (September 23rd, 2016)

The Atlantic

The piece describes the failure of Obama’s doctrine of “justice and prosperity at home and

abroad” in the Middle East, and the unlikely resolvability of the Yemeni conflict. Since 2015,

Riyadh has targeted the Houthis, which accuse the US of helping the Saudis in their attempt to

reestablish President Hadi’s government. Washington has been financing its Gulf ally with

weapons and more than 40 million pounds of fuel to Saudi jets, provoking contrasting domestic

reactions. For some senators, like McCain, the deal represents a necessary demonstration of

credibility for the US, whereas others critique the decision to participate in another conflict in the

region. Even among US military staff and officials there’s uncertainty about the outcome of the

conflict, and most of all, about the real intentions of Riyadh: a third of the strikes have hit

civilian sites, more than 2,200 civilians have been killed and the Saudis have obstructed a

possible UN resolution. Furthermore, this conflict hasn’t been covered with the attention and the

US concentrated almost exclusively on the Syrian crisis. (169 words)

3. Why there is little cause for hope in Yemen (September 11th, 2016)

The Arab Weekly

The article’s author, Khairallah, sees a resolution of the Yemeni conflict unlikely to happen,

especially after the failure of the peace talks held in Kuwait and ended in August. The legitimate

side, guided by president Hadi and sustained by the Saudi-led Gulf alliance is regaining control

of certain areas but will hardly control of Sana’a without a political agreement. On the other side,

the Houthi rebels are supported by former president Saleh and Teheran, and are claiming to

defend “Yemeni unity”. The country is divided and even the Houthi-Saleh coalition, whose only

aim is maintaining power in the controlled territories, seems a form of alliance dictated by

opportunism rather than a request for democracy. The Houthis have been strongly damaged by

the interruption of Iranian weapons caused by the US warships monitoring activity, but in the

case they would survive the conflict, they will anyway constitute a serious interlocutor for the

creation of a new government. To further complicate the context, al-Qaeda in the Arabian

Peninsula has taken advantage of this chaos and bolstered its presence in the country. (182

words)

4. Yemen famine feared as starving children fight for lives in hospital (October

4th, 2016)

The Guardian

The article reports the worsened conditions the Yemeni humanitarian crisis, which has even

further aggravate by the sea blockade against the Houthi’s coalition. At the moment, in the

Arabian Peninsula poorest country, more than 14 million people are short of food, and hundreds

of thousands of children are at risk of starvation: 370,000 are already malnourished and 1.5

million are going hungry. The fight between the two foes is getting the crisis worse, since both

are trying to damage each other through the central bank. But they are not taking into account

that this strategy is going to primarily affect people, leaving Yemenis short of cash and making

food shortages worse. Hadi moved the bank from Sana’a to government-controlled Aden, and

appointed a new governor, who declared that the institution doesn’t have money anymore.

Human rights violations have been committed by both rivals, and the only solution to avoid a

famine spread seem an immediate intervention of the International Community and state

organizations. (169 words)

5. Who is fighting whom? (October 14th, 2016)

BBC

The article describes the different phases of the conflict, explaining its causes and the consequent

humanitarian crisis, which affects an already poor country. The conflict origins from the

transitional period following the protests of 2011, which lead to the resignation of authoritarian

president Ali Saleh for his deputy Hadi. However, the new president hasn’t been able to manage

with various rebellions, the disloyalty of troops, an economic crisis and Al-Qaida attacks. The

Houthi movement took advantage of this instability and in September 2014 “conquered” Sana’a,

reinforcing their position and forcing president Hadi to flee in March 2015. The Saudis, worried

by their Iranian regional foes’ influence in this conflict, decided then to intervene by attacking

the rebels through air-raids supported also by the US, UK and France. The government now

operates from Aden, but the Houthis still control the capital and even the southern city of Taiz.

At the same time, the war has caused a large humanitarian crisis: 21 million people have been

deprived of life-sustaining commodities and basic services. In particular, more than 370,000

children under the age of five are starving, primarily because of food shortages and the

destruction of many civilian infrastructures. At the moment, UNSC’s resolution 2216, which

could represent an end to the conflict, doesn’t seem likely to pass, especially after the failure of

the peace talks in Kuwait. (223 words)

5. Pre-interviews Sama’a Al-Hamdani, from Yemeniaty.com (interviewed by Anna Sutterer)

● What are the main humanitarian issues facing Yemeni people?:

○ Prior to the war, Yemenis struggled getting water or electricity for sufficient

number of hours, jobs were limited, illiteracy was high. Economic organizations

predicted Sanaa would be the first capital in the world to run out of water. -- the

war acted as a catalyst for all these disasters that were heading toward Yemen

○ “I think the humanitarian situation in Yemen cannot be divorced from the

economic crisis that’s taken place, from the political instability that’s taken place,

and it cannot be separated from the war that’s taken place.

○ Statistics coming out of the war are hard to verify and are probably lower than

reality

○ Hospitals are overcrowded and don’t have what they need: “We don’t have

medications coming in, we don’t have the right doctors in place and hospitals

don’t have the electricity.” People are coming in with treatable illness or wounds

from being caught in the combat and don’t survive their treatment.

○ Airports have been shut down, at some points all at the same time, so even the

wealthy can’t get family out of the area. “Of course this war has shown that those

who have money are able to survive a lot more than those who don’t have

money.”

● What are the Yemeni citizens saying about the gridlock between the Houthi rebels

and the state fighters? Is there a general support one way or the other, or are they

simply a casualty?

○ There are several battlefronts and many factions, can’t just lump them into one

group (but we have been calling them pro-legitimate government and pro-Saudi

Arabia forces)

○ ”Because of the dynamics of the war, a lot of people have kind of taken sides. If

you are in northern territories that are run by the Houthi militia, the Houthis tend

to not bother you, but you have a lot of airstrikes from Saudi Arabia coming in.

So a lot of people who have suffered the airstrikes tend to align with the Houthis

not because of their ideology or anything, but solely based on the fact that they

are suffering from the airstrikes coming in. If you are in the South of Yemen, and

the Houthis try to come in, they view the Houthis as intruders because that’s not

their natural geographical region.”

● Predictions?

○ There are two wars: In Yemen (civil war on several fronts) and from outside

Yemen (Saudi 8 country coalition against former president Saleh)

■ Stopping one doesn’t mean the other one would stop. That makes coming

to a complete peace settlement or complete ceasefire would be very

difficult.

○ “I just think that even if the war is stopped, controlling the security on the ground

is going to be a completely different task. From what we’ve seen is that the

government tried to move the capital to Aden but that entire area has been free of

Houthi militia and not been under government, as a matter of fact has fallen into

the hands of rebels, separatists, some areas are controlled by jihadis.”

○ International and local interests for Yemen are not aligned. As long as they

are not aligned it will be hard for one settlement to take place.

Laura Kasinof, author, former journalist for NYT based in Sanaa, Yemen

(interviewed by Jonah McKeown)

● Tell us about your experience living in Yemen

○ First moved to Yemen in 2009 to start a career as a freelance journalist, stayed

there off and on between there and Cairo until 2012, there during the Arab Spring.

○ There were anti government protests which led to subsequent protests because the

military divided, and was one of only a few journalists in Yemen at the time,

because the government was not letting people in.

● Background

○ “The Houthis’ precise political goals are unclear and have been since the

beginning of their rebellion in 2003. What Saleh wants is not vague. He wants

Hadi not to be president, and in this way the war in Yemen is really a clash of

personalities: Saleh on one side with the Houthis behind him, and on the other is

not only Hadi but old political leaders who have had riffs with Saleh, including

the Saudi monarchy.”

○ Historically, particular tribes have supported particular political movements for

hundreds of years (e.g. the North and South, the country was divided up until

1990 with the fall of the Soviet Union)

○ Unification didn’t go so well, so many tribes felt very marginalized by the

government

○ The Houthis always had a lot of military might, but partnering with Saleh helped

them overcome other tribes

○ There are a lot of grievances when Northern tribes start a war with more Southern

parts of the country, and there’s a feeling that they’re doing that because they

don’t like Southerners in general

● What is it actually like for the Yemeni people? What’s the culture like there?

○ Very social society; discuss politics and social things together

● Not enough coverage of Yemen?

○ International donor funding is so small in the country; Yemeni diplomats are often

young and inexperienced

○ There’s a perception that Yemen is just “too complicated” to understand

○ There’s a lot of talk about the war in Yemen as a proxy (de facto) war between

Saudi Arabia and Iran

Akshaya Kumar, Deputy Director at Human Rights Watch, New York City

(interviewed by Jonah McKeown)

● Work with the United Nations

○ The secretary-general of the UN releases a List of Shame every year calling out

the worst countries who violate children’s rights, Saudi-led coalition made the list

■ Coalition lobbied against being on the shame list, threatened to end

humanitarian aid to South Sudan and Palestine, blackmailed the UN

into temporarily removing them from the list

○ Because of the politics of the Security Council, it’s hard for them to pass any

resolutions on Yemen, and they haven’t since last March

● What kinds of humanitarian issues is Yemen facing right now? What are the

reasons for this?

○ Humanitarian groups are warning that there is devastating food insecurity, kids’

growth is being stunted (part of the reason the Saudi coalition was called out by

the UN)

○ Attacks on infrastructure: the nature of these strikes, destroying markets and

businesses, led HRW to the conclusion that the Saudi coalition was deliberately

trying to inflict widespread damage to Yemen’s productive capacity (200

businesses struck repeatedly)

■ Majority of the civilian deaths are due to the airstrikes

○ Still, when the UN they put out a Humanitarian Funding Appeal, Saudi Arabia

immediately said they would pay for the whole thing

○ There have been instances when the Houthis have also shelled indiscriminately

using land to land bombardment

● Predictions for the future and what could help

○ People can send a message to local representatives about being complicit in a

war where these atrocities are going on

○ The US did make a nuclear deal with Iran, after all, so it’s not as though Iran is

part of the axis of evil any more

○ US has announced that there would be a systematic review of how much we

would continue to help Saudi Arabia; no longer give Saudi Arabia a “blank

check”

Nabeel Khoury, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the

Middle East, Norfolk, VA (interviewed by Anna Sutterer)

● Research with Yemen

○ Followed closely since 2004, involved in U.S. policy

○ “The heartbreaking thing is that it’s a political crisis that could have been resolved

years ago.” (6 yrs of war could have been averted if he’d given the Houthis a

better role in govt and some kind of decentralized govt in their region)

○ Saudi bombings in 2009/2010 against Houthis brought Iran into the conflict (Iran

hadn’t been thinking about Yemen, but now had an interest)

● What are the Yemeni citizens saying about the gridlock between the Houthi rebels

and the state fighters?

○ Yemenis are politicized by tribal and political affiliations. It’s hard to assess

where the lines of divisions are besides the North (Houthi) v. South regional/tribal

influences

○ There does exist a portion that have just been victimized, are caught in between

(people in

■ “People who are in remote villages and mountains around Sanaa and even

south of Sanaa are stuck up in their villages and because of the war, they

cannot get access to food supplies, medicine or any kind of government

services. Those are the people who are suffering the most in terms of

malnutrition, disease and general poverty. I imagine people like that don’t

really give a damn at this point who wins this war or who loses it. They

just want a sort of settlement so they can start receiving some assistance.”

● Are the international efforts are not promoting Yemeni health?

○ There have been mistakes all around. Sieges and the air war from Saudi Arabia

has been the most destructive and causes too much damage to the infrastructure.

■ “Even though the Houthis started this by marching on Sanaa and marching

on Aden, at this point, enough mistakes have been committed by the

Saudis… they egg the Houthis on when they keep pushing the war as if

there was a military solution.”

○ The U.S. and UK may finally start approaching the issues diplomatically since the

UN has come out with proposals and condemning statements (concerning war

crimes).

● Other predictions for the future of the conflict’s effect on Yemeni citizens? How can

people help?

○ The problem is not about how this war ends: The Houthi’s relinquish control of

the areas they’ve occupied, including Sanaa, the air war stops and they form a

transitional govt which eventually forms a fully-elected govt.

■ “Everybody pretty much agrees on that. The problem has been on

sequencing it. It’s about who goes first, ‘Do you put your arms down first,

or do I?’”

● Could the Yemeni citizens influence that decision?

○ No. Those who are victimized and just want it to end somehow are not able to

pressure that. They’re not organized in any way, they’re spread over the

geography of the country and they’re too destitute.

○ “But I think one thing that is helping is the international pressure that’s building

up because of malnutrition and starvation.” (not yet on scale of what’s happening

in Syria, but pretty horrible)

■ A documentary from the BBC called “Starving Yemen” has been shown

in D.C. to policymakers and other high up people) “So clearly things like

that are getting to people. Policymakers are watching and are seeing the

pictures. They’re saying, like we are, that this has to stop. The way for it

to stop is for the U.S. to start pressuring everyone… and for the U.S. to

stop supporting the Saudis.”

6. Organization of the show Guest 1: Akshaya Kumar, Deputy United Nations Director at Human Rights Watch

Possible Questions

● How have the indiscriminate strikes on Yemeni businesses and markets affected ordinary

Yemeni citizens?

● Tell us about Saudi Arabia’s actions that were deemed shameful by the UN and their subsequent

lobbying to get themselves removed from the “List of Shame.”

● Does one side have more blood on their hands than the other? What kinds of actions have both

sides perpetrated?

● What is the international community doing to help? Is there anything ordinary people can

do to help?

● What do you predict will happen for the security of Yemen if peace is negotiated?

● What does the recent U.N. peace proposal entail? Do you think it could be successful?

Guest 2 (panel): Laura Kasinof, author and former journalist based in Sanaa for NYT

Possible Questions

● Why is Yemen a difficult country to cover?

● Why has the war in Yemen received so much less coverage than, say, the war in Syria?

● What is the culture in Yemen like? Can you help us understand what life is like there?

● Tell us about your coverage of Yemen during the Arab Spring from 2009 to 2012. Did you (and

do you still) find yourself having to tell the same stories about Yemen over and over again?

● What is the cultural, historical nature of the conflict? How do the separate factions in religion

and tribes influence how the Yemeni citizens are affected by the war’s destruction?

Guest 3 (panel): Sama’a Al-Hamdani, Yemeniaty blog director and independent writer about

Yemeni politics and women’s affairs

Possible Questions

● What is the current condition of the Yemeni government that has had to flee to Aden as the

conflict worsened? What does the leadership in the country look like now?

● What are the most pressing humanitarian issues needing to be addressed in the nation?

● What have you been working on recently to promote peace in Yemen?

● Are there other parties to consider besides our understanding of the Houthi north vs. the south?

● What are the Yemeni citizens saying about the long conflict? Are some areas or people groups

more affected than others?

Guest 4 (panel): Nabeel Khoury, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the

Middle East

Possible Questions

● What is the current condition of the Yemeni government?

● What are Yemeni citizens saying about the gridlock between the Houthi rebels and the state

fighters?

● Is the international effort, or lack thereof, promoting or hurting Yemeni health?

● What are your predictions for the end of the conflict? Is there any model the country could

follow to create better diplomacy?

● Are the Yemeni citizens able to pressure the fighting sides to come to an agreement to lay down

arms?