Page 122 - What Kind of Yemen ?

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Yemen, which has failed to establish a functioning state, has for
years been seeking stability. The peace agreement with the Houthis fol-
lowing fighting that literally turned the capital, Sana'a, into a battle-
ground was not enough to achieve stability. Yet, it has been a very

important step towards stability when the political parties and move-
ments endorsed the President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi
and New Yemen Prime Minister, Khaled Bahah who was assigned
with forming a government to establish a technocratic cabinet and
declared they would not object to the activities of the government.
Although external forces such as Iran and Saudi Arabia are fre-
quently mentioned as being behind the problems in Yemen, the real

issue stems from serious flaws in the structure of Yemeni society.
Therefore, even if the sides do agree on a candidate for prime minister,
peace in the country will only be short-lived as long as permanent
solutions to problems are not found.
Yemeni society is rich and complex, consisting of different sects
with distinct traditions and cultures. Sectarian differences and a tribal-
based order give rise to differing values in the country. These values

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