As Yemen's Houthi militants continue to sabotage Red Sea shipping, the intensification of Western airstrikes and the redefinition of the group as a "global terrorist organization" have had little impact. As the attacks escalated, the group's slogan (or called"sarkha", meaning:"Screaming"Also notorious.
Banners with the word "sarkha" are everywhere in the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and their supporters hold aloft the "sarkha" banner at rallies and crowds shout"Allah is great, death to the United States, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory for Islam".Whenever the Houthi enemy is mentioned, the graffiti is marked with a red font that resembles barbed wire.
Many commentators are quick to point out that the origins of "sarkha" can be traced back to an aphorism of the Iranian Revolution, a connection that exposes the long-standing relationship between the Houthis and their main regional backers, Iran.
In addition,"sarkha "It also carries an anti-imperialist message, leading some outside analysts to overestimate the Houthis' legitimacy on the ground and downplay the suffering of ordinary Yemenis living under their brutal and xenophobic rule.
Since the Houthis were redefined as a global terrorist organization, a new slogan has been added to their rally signs:"The United States is the mother of terrorism".
At first glance, this seems to be"sarkha "An extension of the ideological sentiment conveyed. But the slogan also reflects Yemenis' mixed perceptions of U.S. counterterrorism interventions, and their widespread belief that they provide the oxygen terrorist groups need to survive.
The United States has long been criticized for killing civilians excessively in counterterrorism attacks. Many experts believe thatThis can actually lead to more *** being generated, rather than being wiped out
Another critical view points out that it was precisely because the Intelligence Agency (CIA) initially supported Osama bin Laden and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in the hope of dragging the Soviet Union into an unwinnable war that made the United States at least somewhat responsible for the events that followed.
But there are other layers of meaning behind these slogans, which are not so intuitively understood for Western audiences.
In Yemen and throughout the Middle East, it is widely believed that the West's reflexive support for leaders who claim to fight terrorism fosters a symbiotic relationship between regimes, terrorist groups, and Western-led military intervention. For many people in the region,Groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are seen to some extent by Western-backed leaders as "tools" to maintain their power. These terrorist groups provide these leaders with a plausible pretext for using violence against civilians, or to support their statement: "If I'm gone, ** will take over the country." ”
In 2014,"ISIS"The fighters held a military parade at their former stronghold in northeastern Syria. militant website/ap/uncredited
In Yemen, there have long been allegations about the release of al-Qaeda prisoners by Western-backed leaders, including:
Release al-Qaeda prisoners and regroup themAssisting al-Qaeda in attacks on local and foreign targetsWestern regional partners, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have also been accused of recruiting al-Qaeda members into paramilitary forces to fight opponents in Yemen.Misleading U.S. strikes aimed at killing political opponents rather than al-Qaeda leaders.
As a result, many Yemenis do not consider al-Qaeda or ISIS to be completely independent of those in power in the state. Rather, they tend to believe that these terrorist groups are helping to consolidate the status quo.
This view is completely different from the Western understanding of al-Qaeda or ISIS. In the West, these groups are seen as rebel forces trying to subvert the state. But across the region, many believe that the relationship between terrorist groups and state leaders cannot be simply divided into "state and insurgent" or "friend and foe", because terrorist groups may have both.
A Yemeni analyst pointed out that the process of explaining the complex symbiotic relationship between terrorist groups and leaders in the Middle East with ordinary people is very frustrating
It's much easier to tell a child that Santa Claus isn't really than it is for a foreigner to know what al-Qaeda in Yemen really is.
Supporters of the Houthis pass by a mural during the recent US and UK strikes on Yemeni militant groups. yahya arhab/epa
For its part, the Houthis have long made the subject of propaganda the accusations of the United States fueling the activities of terrorist groups.
More than a decade ago, two years before the Houthis seized Yemen's capital and sparked a long war, I visited a northern town. There are several large, freshly painted murals with the words on them"Al-Qaeda is American-made".
When I asked residents about the murals, they seemed to think it was nothing more than an obvious fact. For them, what is more appealing than this information is the "beautiful handwriting". (Like the banner with "sarkha" on it, the word "America" in the mural is in red barbed wire lettering).
The Houthi propaganda about America's collusion with terrorism resonates because it touches multiple levels:
It reflects the violence triggered by the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, the U.S.'s almost unconditional support for Israel, and the military, economic, and political support of the U.S. and its Western partners for the region's leaders.
In 2003, before the U.S.-led military forces invaded Iraq, the Iraqi army's"fedayeen"(ie.)"Suicide Panel"Members demonstrated in support of then-Saddam Hussein. jim lo scalzo/epa
It also reflects a deep understanding of the political status quo in Yemen (and across the region) about the efforts of violent regimes to maintain the political status quo. Terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida and the counter-terrorism interventions they incur are seen as one of the means by which these regimes maintain power.
The Houthis' use of violence to maintain their power is equally ironic. Despite the widespread disdain among Yemenis living under Houthi rule, the Houthi message pans to the general perception of some Western observers about the drivers of violence in the region.
Indeed, the complex factors behind the Houthi new slogans help explain why Western policy in the region has backfired. To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the people of the region,Western policymakers have turned a blind eye to the historical record of strengthening hostile forces. Western airstrikes have brought previously unimaginable legitimacy to the Houthis and portend bad omen.
Unfortunately,For Yemeni civilians, the Houthi rebels' stance against Israel could increase their appeal to those who do not know their living conditions, while making it more difficult for the Yemeni people to drive them out.
About the author: Sarah GPhillips is Professor of Global Conflict and Development at the University of Sydney, a Future Fellow at the Australian Research Council, and a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the Sana'a Centre for Strategic Studies (Yemen). Her research stems from years of in-depth fieldwork (particularly in Yemen, Somaliland, Iraq, Kenya, and Jordan), with a focus on international intervention in the Global South, knowledge production on conflict-affected states, authoritarianism, and critical terrorism studies.Article source: The Conversation
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