December 23, 2021
Amid the ongoing civil war, the people of Yemen face a multitude of difficulties every day, from food shortages and crumbling infrastructure to COVID and inflation. The UN estimates that the total death toll so far will hit 377,000 by the end of the year.
How did Yemen, a beautiful country on the Red Sea known for its coffee and honey, become a proxy war for regional powers and international actors?
Ian Bremmer explains the complicated history of the conflict in Yemen. Demonstrations during 2011’s Arab Spring led Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations to meddle with Yemen’s politics, while Iran later threw its support behind the Houthis, a local Shia Muslim movement.
After 7 years of war, both Saudi Arabia and Iran continue to use Yemen as a violent playground with civilians bearing the brunt of their actions.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Caught in the crossfire: Yemen’s forgotten war
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