The British Role in the Yemen Crisis

Abstract

With a long history of involvement in Yemen, Britain played a leading role in managing the post-2011 transition, using its diplomatic skills to coordinate the actions of G-10 ambassadors, the UN Special Envoy, President Hadi’s regime, and participants in the National Dialogue Conference. Throughout the process the UK remained concerned about the threat posed by al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula and the capacity of local security services to fight it. London realized that the Houthis should have been given a more central role in the transition but, like other G-10 states, it woke up too late to the threat they posed. While the UK supported the Saudi-led coalition politically, diplomatically, and militarily in March 2015, it became alarmed at growing public concern about the conduct of the war. In response it gave the strongest support to the peace process, led from 2018 by a UN envoy from Britain, and has been a leading provider of humanitarian assistance.