In this Quick Thoughts conversation for Status/الوضع, Sheila Carapico discusses the recent turmoil in Yemen, and describes the growing entrenchment of factionalism and sectarianism in Yemen as a result of growing local fissures and proxy interests. She argues that the complexity of Yemeni political terrain and the increasing levels of violence on all sides leave one with little sympathy for all of the warring groups in the country. Carapico also raises concerns about the consequences of limited international journalistic coverage and polarized regional media coverage from Yemen, and further explains her views on the prospects of a resolution to the conflict.
Sheila Carapico is Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Richmond. Carapico is the author of Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia (Cambridge University Press, 1998) and numerous articles and book chapters on Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula, and the region. A contributing editor to Middle East Report, she has also written essays for several publications about the Egyptian and Yemeni revolutions of 2011. Her most recent book is Political Aid and Arab Activism: Democracy Promotion, Justice and Representation (Cambridge University Press, 2013).
