The Houthi militia speaks for only a sliver of Yemen. It reflects neither the country’s political diversity nor its social diversity and it is far removed from the will of the Yemeni people. Most Yemenis reject a project they see as tied entirely to Iran’s regional agenda.
At its core, the militia’s system is openly racist. It claims a divine right to rule and casts aside republican values, democracy and equal citizenship. In their place, it promotes dynastic and ethnic privilege, justified by claimed descent from the Prophet’s family and the Hashemites, a model that mirrors the clerical regime in Tehran. Aware that this project could never win popular support through politics, the militia turned to Iran to impose it by force. Tehran, for its part, saw in the Houthis a ready-made instrument for its destabilizing ambitions in the region.
The militia has relied on violence ever since. It continues to wage war on Yemen’s land and people, targeting above all those who refuse to bow to its rule. Taiz, a civilian city, has lived under siege for 12 years, enduring destruction and hunger. The situation has deteriorated to the point that chemical substances have been used in the Al-Shaqab area of Taiz governorate.
Tehran, for its part, saw in the Houthis a ready-made instrument for its destabilizing ambitions in…
