Building stability and democracy in Yemen
Yemen’s current crisis poses many challenges, but it is also an unprecedented opportunity to place the country’s political system on a far more stable and inclusive footing. The majority of Yemenis continue to call for an end to a political system dominated by a handful of elites, governed by exclusive patronage networks, which has largely failed to respond to their core grievances and has contributed to ongoing conflict and extremism in the country.
The international community has a role to play in facilitating this process and in encouraging the emergence of a more inclusive political settlement through a transition process that sets out a blueprint for lasting change. In the short-term, violent conflict is almost inevitable, but if a peace agreement on a transition of power is to bring about lasting stability, it must begin addressing the underlying drivers of conflict and radicalisation in Yemen immediately.
