Helen Lackner is the author of Yemen in Crisis: The Road to War. She worked in rural development and lived in the three Yemeni states for fifteen years.
Ten years ago, inspired by revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, Yemenis challenged an authoritarian ruler and dared to dream of a new future for their country. But a backlash by Yemen’s old guard and interference by foreign powers crushed those hopes and plunged the country into war.
Thirty years ago today, Yemen united as one country in a mood of optimism about the future. Those hopes were to be cruelly disappointed, thanks to the destructive, self-serving record and rivalry of Yemen’s political elites.
The Saudi-led, US-backed war in Yemen has produced a humanitarian hellscape. And there’s no end in sight.
Yemen had the longest and deepest Arab Spring — why did the country collapse into civil war?