UCLA Scholar: Yemen Could Be Another North Korea

(Dreamstime)

An absurd situation has emerged in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. The United States is providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Yemen.

The latest request for assistance from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occurs as the Houthis, a militia governing 80% of Yemen’s population, wreaks havoc on commercial maritime traffic in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Why is the United States continuing to help the people of a governing entity who harms the global economy, sinks cargo ships, kills sailors, attacks U.S. allies and U.S. warships, depletes U.S. resources, and challenges U.S. interests? So the Houthis can continue to indulge in reckless, violent, destructive, and deadly behavior?

U.S. experiences with North Korea demonstrate the foolishness of the policy. Assisting our enemies while confronting, containing, and fighting them is ridiculous and needs to end immediately.

The United States has provided the people of Yemen with over $5.5 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Houthis initiated a civil conflict in 2014. In 2023 alone, the U.S. contributed $444 million. The United States is determined to maintain the gravy train in 2024 despite Houthi attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea for four months and counting. The ambassador to Yemen, Steven H. Fagin, issued a declaration of humanitarian need for the country in fiscal year 2024.

The United States Agency for International Development determined in a March 1 report that, partnering with non-governmental organizations and international agencies, American tax dollars can assist Yemen in six areas.

What is the point of this endeavor? Is the United States getting any return on its investment in Yemen?

Destructive and violent behaviors persist. The Houthis have and continue to take the conflict beyond Yemen’s borders. As recently as March 9, American warships shot down 28 attack drones launched by the Houthis at vessels off the coast of Yemen.

Adding to the absurdity, the war waged by the Houthis on maritime traffic and the ships protecting it is conducted in solidarity with the Palestinian people — a thousand miles away — not the sick and hungry people of Yemen.

Maximalist objectives are maintained. The Houthis refuse to compromise after nine years of war.

A 2022 truce failed to produce any moderation or compromise. The Houthis did not uphold all of its stipulations and were responsible for 94% of 2,977 truce violations. The truce ended because the Houthis escalated their demands.

Suffering continues. The Houthis are inflicting irreparable damage and harm on the population. Food insecurity has plagued Yemen for seven years. Cholera and diphtheria outbreaks are commonplace. More than half of the population requires assistance, and nearly half of all Yemeni children suffer from moderate to severe stunting.

Disdain for America remains. U.S. assistance does not appear to be changing the hearts and minds of the Yemeni people. Thousands of Yemenis continue to chant “Death to America” and trample the American flag during marches in the capital of Sanaa. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Why does America invest money in people who continue to hate us?

One is left wondering if American tax dollars are merely meant to keep NGOs and international agencies addressing Yemen fully staffed.

U.S. investment is pointless. It is tantamount to throwing good money after bad for a country already in $34 trillion of debt while it pays a record amount of interest. In other words, the U.S. worsens its financial situation through aiding and enabling a despotic, belligerent governing entity. Furthermore, U.S. tax dollars are being allocated for development by USAID while other monies are used by the Navy to disrupt development with airstrikes.

The situation with Yemen is particularly outrageous because the United States has previously indulged in similar nonsensical behavior.

In the 1990s, North Korea experienced a famine. Millions of North Korean civilians died from starvation and hunger-related issues. From 1995 to 2008, the United States provided North Korea with $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to alleviate the aftereffects.

Like the Houthis of Yemen, the North Korean regime pursued war goals while the U.S. helped its people. At one point in the ’90s, North Korea spent over 26% of its GDP on military expenditures while its population starved.

What did the assistance achieve for the United States?

It helped a totalitarian regime survive. It enabled North Korea to invest and develop nuclear capabilities and other weapons programs. It allowed North Korea to continue to mismanage its budget, economy, and services. All the while, North Koreans remained hostile and antagonistic toward the United States.

Today, North Korea is a destabilizing force in Asia. It operates nuclear and ballistic weapons programs that threaten the United States and American allies in Asia. Hunger and starvation remain a recurring feature of North Korean society. As recently as 2023, reports indicate the country is on the brink of another famine.

Will the United States ever learn from this lose-lose behavior? How much longer must it last? How much more debt does the United States want to incur on behalf of a people who hate the U.S.? How many more administrations will indulge in behavior and thinking that make no sense?

American tax dollars are finite and must be utilized for policy that advances American interests. U.S. assistance in Yemen at this current juncture is ridiculous. Our policy requires reevaluation and refinement because Yemen has the trappings of another North Korea.

Eric Bordenkircher, Ph.D., is a research fellow at UCLA’s Center for Middle East Development. He tweets at @UCLA_Eagle. The views represented in this piece are his own and do not necessarily represent the position of UCLA or the Center for Middle East Development.