Why Yemen Matters

About the Book

In November 2011, an agreement brokered by the GCC brought an end to Yemen’s tumultuous uprising. The National Dialogue Conference has opened a window of opportunity for change, bringing Yemen’s main political forces together with groups that were politically marginalized. Yet, the risk of collapse is serious, and if Yemen is to remain a viable state, it must address numerous political, social and economic challenges.

In this invaluable volume, experts with extensive Yemen experience provide innovative analysis of the country’s major crises: centralized governance, the role of the military, ethnic conflict, separatism, Islamism, foreign intervention, water scarcity and economic development.

This is essential reading for academics, journalists, development workers, diplomats, politicians and students alike.

About the Contributors

Helen Lackner has worked as a consultant in social aspects of rural development in over thirty countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. She has spent the past four decades researching Yemen, working in the country for fifteen years. Lackner is currently Associate Researcher at the London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and was the 2016 Sir William Luce Fellow at Durham University. The editor of Journal of the British-Yemeni Society, she is also a regular contributor to Oxford Analytica’s briefs and openDemocracy. Her publications include Yemen in Crisis: Devastating Conflict, Fragile Hope and Why Yemen Matters: A Society in Transition (editor). She lives in Oxford.

Reviews

‘A rich, diverse and rewarding account of the multiple security dilemmas now facing Yemen’
Journal of Middle Eastern Studies

‘Timely and important … An excellent record … [the contributors’] interviews with Yemenis make a welcome addition to the events, facts and figures that form the basis of the papers.’
Bulletin of the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia

‘An up to date and wide-ranging guide to what is arguably the Arab world’s least known and most misunderstood state … brings together an impressive range of experts on the country’
Michael Willis, Director of the Middle East Centre, Oxford University

‘Thoughtful and well-researched, Why Yemen Matters unearths a wealth of information about contemporary Yemeni society.’
Baghat Korany, Professor of International Relations, American University in Cairo

‘Essential reading … The authors shed light on the context of the Yemeni uprising in a way that helps us understand the outlines of Yemen’s future.’
Charles Schmitz, President of the American Institute of Yemeni Studies

‘A remarkable book in terms of its comprehensiveness, accessibility and ethical approach … a must-read for those wanting to go beyond the headlines'
Jordan Times