Yemen’s Decisive Role in the Cold War

Abstract

The “Cold War” between the United States and the Soviet Union is often disregarded in the analysis of contemporary nations and conflicts in the Middle East. However, it was a determining phase of history that still weighs down on the present, especially because we are not yet out of the phase of American imperialism. History never “ended” with the end of the Cold War, as Francis Fukuyama stipulated (Fukuyama, The National Interest 16:3–18, 1989). It continues since the Russian revolution of 1917 and the many revolutions in the nations of the South that aimed at countering the influence of Imperialism. The disintegration of the Yemeni state in 2015, along with the famine and the political fragmentation of the country, take root in this Cold War and the defeat of Arab socialism against Israel and American imperialism. The chapter analyzes the strategic role of Yemen during the Cold War and shows that the civil wars in Yemen from 1962 to 1968, were decisive in the defeat of Arab socialism against Israel in the 1967 war. Counter-factually to what happened, if Egypt won the war in Yemen, the Arab nations would have had more resources to deploy against Israel in the 1967 war. Tens of thousands of soldiers were caught up in the war in Yemen as Israel launched its attack in June 1967. The defeat against Israel meant a defeat for Arab sovereignty and Arab economic independence, and Yemen became increasingly subordinated to the gulf countries.