Yemen: In the Shadow of the Imam

Nov 1, 2023

This podcast explores Yemen's complex history and ongoing civil war, with a focus on the quest for unification. They discuss the entangled nature of Yemeni politics, the beauty and historical significance of Yemen, the origins of Zadism, ancestral connections and power struggles in Yemen, the impact of conflict and war, and the historical conflict and attempts at unification.

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ANECDOTE

Imam Yahya's Downfall

Imam Yahya, facing Saudi expansion, claimed a 900-year rule to assert his legitimacy.
Ironically, his decision to modernize the military led to his downfall.

ANECDOTE

Nasser's Yemen Intervention

Nasser, inspired by falling monarchies, saw Yemen as key to spreading Arab nationalism.
His intervention aimed to establish a socialist state, mirroring his success in Egypt.

INSIGHT

Nasser's Impact on Yemen

Despite Nasser's controversial legacy, many Yemenis credit him for ending the Imamate.
His intervention introduced modern state concepts, education, and healthcare.

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Ask anyone from the Middle East about Yemen, that country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula, and they’ll tell you tales about the Queen of Sheba, Frankincense and Myrrh. It’s a place steeped in ancient history and paints a vivid picture in the imagination. But it’s also a place currently riven by conflict, engulfed in a civil war which has now been raging since 2014. But how did it get there? And what can the country’s history tell us about the bleak current state of affairs? For the next five episodes, Conflicted tells the country’s story.

We begin in the 20th century, with two Yemeni states - one in the North and one in the South - at odds with each other. With chaos caused by interventions from Nasser in the North, and the British Empire usurped by a Marxist regime in the South, for decades it seemed they could never be united. But with the rise of a certain strongman, Ali Abdullah Saleh, by the late 20th century this seemed possible.

To help Thomas and Aimen find out more about this quest for unification, today Conflicted welcomes our first ever guest, Baraa Shaiban. Baraa is a Yemeni journalist and political activist who was previously the advisor to the Yemeni Embassy London and has done some amazing work in bringing the crisis of the past decade to the world. He’ll be bringing his extraordinary first hand account of many of the recent events in Yemen’s political history to the table as we seek to unwrap this riddle of a country.

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