Role of Arab League in Yemen Conflict - Analysis and Overview

Running head: CONFLICT IN YEMEN
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Introduction
The MENA region has as such never been at a state of complete peace, as political
problems, either limited within the sphere of domestic politics or due to foreign intervention has
been disrupting stability. The Arab League was thus formed in the year 1945 to strengthen
cooperation among the Arab states to safeguard the political and the economic interests of the
member states and also of the region as a whole (Khadduri, 1946).
In this particular research paper the discussion shall be focusing upon the role of the Arab
League in the Civil War in Yemen. This is the thesis statement of the research paper and the
discussion in the following sections shall be to demonstrate the effectiveness or the
ineffectiveness of the organization in solving the conflict in Yemen with an analytical undertone.
Overview of the Arab League
The Arab League has a long history which has a background that dates back to the First
World War when the opposition to the Ottoman Turkish rule had surfaced as a political goal in
the Islamic nations of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. The defeat of the
Ottoman Sultan in the First World War was a huge momentum that had boosted the morale of
the Arabs of the MENA region to reclaim their identities and form a confederacy to safeguard
themselves against any foreign encroachment1. The Second World War had been the major
reason why the formation of the Arab League in the year 1945 had finally materialized
(Khadduri, 1946). The MENA region is rich in mineral resources, the crude oil which has made
it subject to interference from the West. Moreover, the persecution of the Jews all over Europe,
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especially the Holocaust in Germany had caused the Great Britain to find them a safe haven and
that was planned by means of tracing the roots of Jews to the ancient Biblical times, when it was
proclaimed that Israel, the Promised Land belonged to the Jews. Hence the Jews had to be
relocated to the land of Israel which was then a muslim majority nation by the name Palestine.
Safeguarding economic interests and political interests against foreign encroachment; building
solidarity among culturally and religiously similar folks separated by geographical boundaries;
provide each other with support in times of need and resisting the formation of the Jewish state
had been the prime goal behind the formation of the Arab League in 1945, initially consisting of
six members and then it has expanded to its current strength of 22 states (Hourani, 1947). The
Arab League in the current context also be called a organization that fosters the spirit of
cooperation among the member nations and also aims at securing the following goals for the
member nations:-
- Securing economic cooperation among the member nations
- Fostering communication among the member nations
- Upholding cultural integrity of the nationalities
- Fostering mutual respect and recognition among the various nationalities
- Extending social welfare schemes among the member nations
- Addressing health issues and concerns among the member nations
- Peaceful settlement of political disputes among the member nations without resorting to
violence
- Collaborating in military affairs to the achievement of the end of the abovementioned
goal

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These goals have been acceded to by the 22 member nations and has been documented in the
1950 pact making it binding upon all the member nations (MacDonald, 2015).
Analytical overview of the Conflict in Yemen
In this particular section of the essay the focus of the discussion shall be on the ongoing
civil war in Yemen which has gained much momentum from the year 2015, dividing the nation
on the sectarian lines of Shias and Sunnis and also incurring intervention from Saudi Arabia and
Iran. Yemen is currently a political hotspot for Proxy Wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran who
have intervened because the religious identities endorsed by both the nations, Sunnism and
Shiism had attained political colour, and they felt the need to defend their stakes in Yemen
(Pulkkinen, 2017).
The Civil War of 2015 has its genesis back in the Arab Spring which has spread across
the Arab World in some nation states ever since the year 2011 (Pulkkinen, 2017). The Arab
Spring had begun in the North African nation of Tunisia against the despotic President Ben Ali
and had spread into the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen, in the year 2011. The root cause of the
conflict lies in the failure of the political transition of handing over the responsibility of the
nation from the hands of authoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh to the hands of his deputy
Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (Pulkkinen, 2017).
In the year 2014, the agitation between the Houthi rebels of North Yemen against the
internationally recognized Yemeni Sunni Government led by Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi
demanding a reduction in the fuel prices, a change in the government of the nation and putting an
end to the marginalization of the Shias of the nation. In 2015, the Houthi rebels had with the help