Yemen is often analysed only through war. But what if a state is actually being built in the middle of the conflict?
Interviewer: Lyna Ouandjeli (Researcher and Head of Collaborative Projects at EISMENA)
Guest: Jules Gastinel (University of Aix-Marseille)
How does a rebel movement evolve into a governing authority? In this conversation hosted by EISMENA, researcher Jules Grange Gastinel (CNRS) examines how the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) has progressively transformed governance structures in Northern Yemen since 2014. Rather than destroying state institutions, the movement has often captured, adapted, and repurposed them, creating a hybrid political system that combines formal republican institutions with parallel structures of power. The discussion explores the paradox of state formation during wartime, the internal functioning of Houthi governance, the role of former state elites, and the geopolitical implications of Yemen’s prolonged conflict. Understanding Yemen today requires looking beyond the battlefield — and examining how political authority continues to evolve during war.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and guest presentation
01:00 Yemen as an under-studied political space
03:00 State-building during wartime
05:00 The Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014
07:30 Governance structures under Ansar Allah
10:00 Transitional rule or long-term governance?
12:00 Alliance with the former Saleh regime
14:30 Why the Houthis remain diplomatically isolated
16:00 The impact of October 7 and Red Sea tensions
18:30 The complex relationship between Iran and the Houthis
20:00 Dual governance structures and administrative elites
24:00 Individual trajectories and bureaucratic continuity
30:00 Institutional reforms and judicial governance
33:30 Governance legitimacy and competition between administrations
39:30 Rethinking the concept of the state in Yemen
45:00 Leadership, political messaging, and revolutionary narratives
47:30 War and alternative forms of sovereignty
52:00 Western narratives and misunderstandings of Yemen
55:00 Why Yemen’s war is often overlooked internationally
58:30 Dialogue, diplomacy, and the future of Yemen
01:02:00 End of interview
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