The United States has now ended its campaign of airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels having achieved little military success and instead playing into Houthi attempts to consolidate domestic control, according to an analysis published by The European Council on Foreign Relations.
Maysaa Shujaa Aldeen, a Visiting Fellow at the ECFR, the analysis’ author noticed that following the end of the US military campaign against the Houthis on May 6th, US president Donald Trump claimed the group had “capitulated”. In reality, however, the US pullback is likely as much a result of the mission’s failure as US reluctance to get drawn into a deeper conflict.
Shujaa Aldeen, added “In the surface, the intensified US strikes appear to have had some success, with Houthi attacks largely ceasing since March. But this tactical win has not delivered broader strategic gains. Moreover, the campaign has allowed the Houthis to tighten their grip domestically and they now celebrate the US stand-down as a sign of victory”
Shujaa Aldeen concluded the analysis emphasizing that rather than focusing solely on a narrow military strategy, Western states, including the US and European governments, should also do more to support Yemen’s state-building needs and explore pathways to facilitate necessary dialogue, such as through fairer revenue-sharing arrangements. This should involve close collaboration with Arab Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, which holds decisive political and economic regional influence.