An American expert: Washington may be forced to enter the struggle against the Houthis in Yemen
English - Monday 24 August 2020 الساعة 05:15 pm
Aden, Newsyemen, Faris Saeed:
The American researcher and expert specializing in national security affairs and radical groups, Irina Tsukerman, believes that the Houthis are still the dominant force in the balance of radical forces in Yemen, but she believes at the same time that the influence of the Islah Party, the Yemeni branch of the Brotherhood, is spreading.
Tsukerman indicated in an interview with "Newsyemen", that they (the Brotherhood) are now being empowered to possess their well-trained fighting forces, which cannot be ignored.
She explained that the Houthis and their supporters adopted the approach of working with the Brotherhood to the maximum extent possible instead of trying to crush them, choosing to confront any ideological differences and sharing power later, once the goal of ending the Arab coalition was achieved.
It stated that "the ideological influence of the Brotherhood is spreading successfully through the mosques and through the media through various mechanisms that the Turks place in the areas under their control."
Tsukerman believes that Iran, at the present time, is in a position superior to its competitors (the Turkey / Qatar axis), but they are also close to a large extent or do not stand in the way of each other, but with the growing Qatari-Turkish influence they might begin to challenge Iranian influence in Yemen.
The American expert added, "There are two other factors that must be taken into account: The first is the fact that Qatar is likely to finance both the Houthis and Hezbollah, and therefore there is a level of interconnection between Iran and Qatar in that Iran needs money and Qatar needs manpower.
It is likely - in this scenario - that Qatar - despite not having real physical power - would come geopolitically to the top by confronting Iran and Turkey against each other.
The second factor - Tsukerman says - is Russia, which initially tried to play with all sides, but it puts its own interests above everything, and is turning more Houthis against the Arab coalition because it sees the Houthis as more in control.
She explained: "Russia may be very extended in various other conflicts to pursue a very active military policy in Yemen at the present time, but as is the case in Syria and elsewhere, it will try to advance its own interests in military bases and access to natural resources and influence by making limited alliances and holding deals with Iran and Turkey, according to what is possible at the present time.
Whereas, the American expert expected, in the context of her conversation with "Newsyemen", that the position of the United States will change, with the passage of time after the elections, depending on the outcome.
While she said that Washington has so far tried to play a small role and not engage in "the endless wars of the Middle East," which enabled Turkey's increased participation, "Tsukerman" expected that a point would come at which the United States would be forced into the struggle against the Houthis or that Turkey would support the jihadists more actively if their aggression got out of control and endangered US bases on land or international maritime trade.
