Seminar discusses reasons and effects of designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization

The Yemeni Future Center for Strategic Studies, in partnership with the Human Rights Association, held a virtual symposium last night to discuss the reasons and implications of the United States reclassifying the Houthis as a foreign terrorist group.

The symposium, held via Zoom, was titled: Classifying the Houthi Group as a Terrorist Organization: Reasons for Classification and Its Multiple Effects. It was moderated from Washington by Rania Qaiser, a researcher at the American Institute for Research (Hudson), who presented four research papers on the reasons for classifying the Houthis as a foreign terrorist group, its effects, and the nature of dealing with it.

In the first paper, the head of the Future Center for Studies, Dr. Fares Al-Bail, spoke about the nature of dealing with this classification locally, regionally and internationally.

He said that designating the Houthis as a terrorist group was a legal entitlement, and came after years of violations, and not just as a result of their attacks in the Red Sea.

Dr. Al-Bail considered this decision an opportunity to pressure the group and undermine its political and financial legitimacy. He pointed out that it will impose international legal responsibility on them, which will open the door to accountability and justice before international and local bodies, and enhance the Yemeni government’s ability to mobilize international support and restore the state.

The second paper was presented by political researcher and former diplomat, Mustafa Naji, which focused on the effects of this classification on peace and human rights in Yemen.

Researcher Naji explained that the decision will redefine the legal status of the Yemeni government, allowing the Houthis to be held accountable internationally. It also provides an opportunity for the government to provide alternative mechanisms to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches people outside the group’s control, and puts it before the test of exploiting the decision to strengthen its authority on the ground.

The third paper, presented by the Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Aden, Dr. Sami Qasim Naaman, discussed the importance of the classification and its results on the humanitarian and economic levels, reviewing the economic impact of this decision.

Noman explained that the sanctions will dry up the Houthis’ sources of funding, especially through the port of Hodeidah. He pointed out that the decision will transfer financial aid to institutions subject to the Yemeni government, which may enhance their financial stability. At the same time, he said that the decision may also exacerbate the humanitarian crisis if alternative measures are not taken.

The fourth paper, presented by journalist and political activist Sami Al-Ashwal, focused on “the reasons for the classification and its entitlements.” He stressed that the classification reflects the failure of Biden’s previous policies that canceled the classification of the Houthis, which led to the group’s military escalation.

Al-Ashwal stressed that the Houthis are working within an Iranian strategy to destabilize the region, and the classification decision will limit their political and economic influence, but it may complicate peace efforts, according to the official Al-Thawra newspaper.

It is noteworthy that the Yemeni Future Center for Strategic Studies is an independent research center that works to keep pace with the Yemeni and international reality, monitors various developments, evaluates and studies them, and develops scientific and methodological visions for them, in a way that serves to support decision-making for the concerned parties.