Question

In the case of Yemen, how does nationalism lead to conflict in Yemen?

Answer 1

The modern Yemeni state was formed in 1990 with the unification of the U.S.and Saudi backed Yemeni Arab Republic, in the north, and the USSR backed People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, to the south.

The military officer Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had ruled North Yemen since 1978, assumed leadership of the new country.Southern separatists seceded for several months in 1994 and reemerged in 2007 as the Southern Movement, which has continued to press for greater autonomy within Yemen.The Houthi movement, whose base is among the Zaydi Shiites of northern Yemen, rose up against Saleh's government six times between 2004 and 2010.

The United States lent its support to Saleh beginning in the early 2000s, when counterterrorism cooperation became Washington's overriding regional concern.

Several factors widened these political divisions and led to full-scale military conflict.

1. Under pressure from the International Monetary Fund, which had extended to Yemen a $550 million loan  premised on promises of economic reforms, Hadi's government lifted fuel subsidies in July 2014.
2. The Houthi movement, which had attracted support beyond its base with its criticisms of the UN transition, organized mass protests demanding lower fuel prices and a new government.
3. Hadi's supporters and the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated party, al-Islah, held counterrallies.

All the mistreatment caused in the economical and political regime suppported by aggressive nationalism led to a conflict in Yemen.