Opinion: Gulf countries standing idly by in Yemen
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Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
on : Monday, 6 Oct, 2014
The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) foreign ministers made very precise
statements to send out a warning that "the GCC states will not stand idly by
in the face of factional foreign intervention in Yemen." They had previously
stressed that the security of Yemen is one of the council's main concerns.
As such, the scope of the crisis has widened from the previous situation
when local leaders and the UN envoy were left to resolve the conflict.
The truth is that the Gulf states that want to help Yemen have their hands
tied because they do not have tanks, troops or militias on the ground in the
country. They cannot wage a war on the Houthis similar to the one waged on
ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The GCC is facing a difficult situation in Yemen;
for decades their support was only political and economic. The Houthi rebels
have reneged on all their agreements signed in recent weeks, even those
amended to meet their demands. They disrespected all the deals they signed.
The question is not about the illegitimacy of Ansar Al-Allah, the Houthis,
who seized control of the Yemeni capital. This is obvious after they
overthrew the legitimate government that was recognized by the UN Security
Council and the Arab League and was the product of the consensus of various
Yemeni parties. The question now is: How can we deter this rebel militia and
restore legitimacy? Will the Security Council that recognized the Yemeni
government be able to protect it in the same way it is now defending the
Iraqi government against ISIS? What can the GCC do to protect its initiative
and protect the new Yemeni regime? Does the GCC's statement that they will
not stand idly by mean a possible military action?
The Gulf's actions since the unrest in Yemen erupted in 2011 were positive.
Gulf countries respected popular demands and convinced Ali Abdullah Saleh to
step down from the presidency. They succeeded in preventing chaos and
massacres between various parties and supported the project of the temporary
transitional government until the Yemeni people choose a new leader. This
was the best that could have been done in that serious crisis, despite the
bad choice of the Interim President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. This is why
Yemen and Tunisia have emerged as models of the Arab Spring. In the end,
Yemenis were victorious with the UN's political support and the major
international economic rescue project.
Now, all these achievements are being destroyed by the Houthi rebels who
dared to assault the new regime and due to the success of the ousted
president's supporters in undermining the army and security force, leaving
the capital defenseless. Accordingly, we ask the Gulf countries, which
believe that an attack on Yemen is tantamount to an attack on themselves,
what can they do about this? Will they send military forces to confront the
Houthis? Are they ready for a wider confrontation in case Iran supports its
Houthi allies with troops as it did in Iraq and Syria?
I don't think that a direct military intervention is the solution now, as it
was after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. This is because it
won't be viable in a collapsed and dangerous country regarded as the second
safe haven for Al-Qaeda, after Syria. There are limited available options,
most notably the political solution. Despite its failure so far, it is still
the best option to unite various Yemeni forces, including the South's
forces, against the Houthis and Al-Qaeda. It is also the best option to urge
them to adopt a political project that excludes the rebels and their
supporters and punishes them economically. The second solution is to
support, re-structure and arm the army, empowering it to retake cities from
the clutches of the Houthis who are taking arms depots, financial and energy
assets in their bid to control the major cities through puppets who claim to
represent the Yemeni people.
The Gulf countries are facing unusual challenges in Yemen. The war will not
be easy as some rivals are still unknown. If the GCC succeeds in Yemen, it
will win the respect it deserves in the troubled region, but if it fails,
the consequences will be immense.
Received on Mon Oct 06 2014 - 08:40:44 EDT