Yemen’s War at Ten: From Saudi to U.S. Intervention
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM in Eastern Time | 9:00 PM in Yemen
Ten years after the launch of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, the war remains unresolved and, in many ways, more complicated than ever. A recently confirmed leak, in which senior US officials informally discussed military operations, has only underscored the perception that the conflict continues to be managed with less strategic clarity.
Amid renewed Houthi attacks and a U.S. military response, including the re-designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, Yemen is once again in the international spotlight. Gulf states, once central to the coalition effort, are now distancing themselves from a war that has blurred the lines between security, identity, and regional diplomacy.
Meanwhile, regional outside powers are stepping in. The Houthis are developing even stronger ties not just to Iran but to China, and Russia, who are deepening their roles in Yemen’s fractured landscape, expanding influence in ways that raise new questions about the balance of power, not just in Yemen, but across the broader Middle East.
This panel brings together leading experts to examine the war’s long-term legacy, the evolving regional calculations, and the broader strategic choices now facing the U.S. and its allies.
Speakers
Asher Orkaby
Research Associate and Instructor·Harvard University
Asher Orkaby, PhD is a research associate and instructor at Harvard University. He was previously an associate research scholar at Princeton University’s Transregional Institute and a residential fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. Orkaby earned his PhD from Harvard University in International History and Middle Eastern Studies and is the author of Beyond the Arab Cold War: The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962-68 (Oxford University Press, 2017) and Yemen: What Everyone Needs to Know (OUP, 2021). Over the course of the current conflict in Yemen, he has contributed regularly to Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, and many other policy publications and has commented on both English and Arabic media such as CSPAN, al-Jazeera, and al-Arabbiya. His current research focuses on the history of chemical warfare in the Middle East.
Samuel Ramani
Associate Fellow·Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Samuel Ramani is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London and the CEO of Pangea Geopolitical Risk. Samuel is the author of Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender and Putin’s War on Ukraine: Russia’s Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution, which were published by Oxford University Press and Hurst in 2023. Samuel frequently advises the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, US Department of State, US Department of Defence, and NATO on defense and security issues and is a regular contributor to the BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, CNN International, and Foreign Policy magazine.
Fatima Abo Alasrar
Senior Policy Analyst·WCYS
Fatima Abo Alasrar is the Senior Policy Analyst at WCYS and has been a contributing analyst and speaker since 2021. Upon joining the Center in 2024, she established the Research Fellowship program for Yemeni experts and the Research Apprenticeship program for students and recent graduates. Her expertise has been instrumental in shaping the Center’s annual policy agenda, a cornerstone of National Yemen Advocacy Day. Alasrar is a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and a board member of Peace Track Initiative. Before that, she was a Senior Analyst at the Arabia Foundation in Washington DC, MENA Director for Cure Violence, a Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, and an International Policy Fellow at the Open Society Foundation. From 2006-12, she worked as an advisor for the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Alasrar served as a program officer for the Department for International Development (DFID) in Yemen. Alasrar holds an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Architectural Engineering from Sanaa University in Yemen.
Sadeq Al-Wesabi
Senior Fellow·WCYS
Sadeq Al-Wesabi joined WCYS as a Senior Fellow in 2024. Al-Wesabi is a seasoned communication and Media Consultant with extensive experience in journalism and international development agencies. He currently serves as a content creator focusing on Yemen’s situation and human rights issues. Previously, Al-Wesabi worked as a Communication Officer for the World Health Organization from 2013 to 2023, covering humanitarian and health crises in Yemen, Iraq, and other emergency settings. Before his WHO tenure, he was a journalist for Yemen Times and a radio presenter for Radio Yemen Times, concentrating on political and human rights matters. Al-Wesabi holds an MA in Media and Broadcast Production from Queen’s University Belfast and a BA in Media and Communications from Sana’a University.
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