The Civil War in Yemen: The Forgotten War That Never Was Internal

Larmie Sanyon

Final Project Paper -J448: Global Journalism

Prof. Suzannah Comfort

May 3, 2018

The Civil War in Yemen: The Forgotten War That Never Was Internal

War is not a pretty thing, The Civil War in Yemen proves that every day. It started in 2015 when an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes into Yemen (Amnesty International, n.d.). The coalition includes: the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Sudan and Morocco. Their target was the Houthi rebels who ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in 2014, and the war has waged on since (Amnesty International, n.d). Famine, death, displacement of people and the worst cholera crisis in recent history have been a few of the consequences. According to Amnesty International, there has been a devastating toll on civilians due to widespread cases of human rights abuses, war crimes and these atrocities have been committed by all warring parties. The United Nations Calls it the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet, yet, it is not been heavily covered by news outlets. The conflict is mentioned but not in the same way that Syria is talked about. The war is one of the most intricate conflicts in the world today, for example, the Houthi rebels are allegedly backed by Iran, a sworn enemy of Saudi Arabia. The coalition buys weapons, like planes, from the UK and US and then turns to these same dealers to help coordinate airstrikes. In addition to these two sides, there are many terrorist groups, like Al Qaeda and ISIS, that have taken advantage of the power vacuum in Yemen. There are many international news outlets doing a fair job of covering the conflict but overall there’s much room for improvement. It is the press’ responsibility to serve as a counterbalance to the chaos and as eyewitnesses who accurately document reality. This research paper will demonstrate that there is no such thing a civil war in the globalized world by examining the Yemen Civil War as covered by the BBC and Al Jazeera, furthermore, it will use the terms of globalization, authoritarian media system, agenda setting, global journalism and global journalist in order to critique the media landscape and suggest ways news coverage of the conflict can improve.

World War 1 and 2 are called that because almost all the world’s powers were waging war on one side or the other. The last “World War” ended in 1945 but since then, there has been the emergence of a new type of international conflict. They are global conflicts. Examples are widespread, “civil wars” like those in Yemen and Syria have proven to be anything but internal. It’s surprising how a conflict can be labelled as a “civil war” when one of the sides is backed by an active Saudi coalition and the other, reportedly, by Iran. According to Seger (2013, p.13), “globalization refers to a multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant,”. In the case of Yemen, there was a multidimensional social situation with Houthi’s in the north and a government they didn’t respect in the south. This led to a civil war that created, multiplied, stretched and intensified worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges. In other words, this conflict, which started locally is now an intense multidimensional conflict where both sides are dependent on outside influences like the Saudi-led coalition and Iran. It is difficult to say how much more aware the Yemeni people have become of an interdependent world. However, when Saudi planes, bought from the UK, bomb your nation, that must increase your awareness of the deepening connections between the local and the distant (Ward, 2017). Furthermore, the Yemeni people’s awareness of a connected world is further deepened through interaction with humanitarian aid, which is provided by foreign actors (BBC, 2017). The complex reality on the ground in Yemen proves that in the globalized world, modern conflicts are fought multilaterally, even when they are internal.

Yemen has never exactly had a free press, according to Battaglia (2017), journalists always have had to walk a fine line and the revolution has only exacerbated the problem. For decades, before the war, there were many privately owned outlets to supplement the mostly government-run stations (Freedom House, 2017). There were written laws like the “Press and Publications Law”, that explicitly restricted the press and left the government as the true “gatekeepers” (Freedom House, 2017). According to Freedom House (2017), there was only one internet provider in the country, the government. Once war broke out, the Houthi rebels took control of the Ministry of Communications, the administration that controls the internet, making the internet yet another political battleground. This is widely considered the worst time for journalism in the country’s history (Battaglia, 2017). According to Biahi (1999), the authoritarian media system is best described as a system where those with power, be it the government or the aristocracy, try to censor speech in an effort to curb dissent and protect their image or power. In this case, the Houthi controlled internet is subject to shutdowns and active censorship of websites they don’t approve of. According to Battaglia (2017), as the Houthis began to gain territory, they began to censor outlets that were controlled by or in support of the Hadi government. Their idea of censorship goes beyond the Western sense because journalists have been kidnapped, murdered, jailed and some have simply disappeared, never to be heard from again (Freedom House, 2017). The censorship of the press is not limited to one side, as the two warring factions have made it impossible to be an independent reporter (Battaglia, 2017). If journalists are biased towards the Houthis, the coalition will shut them down, especially if they dare to establish moral equivalences. As a result, many journalists have fled the nation and or changed professions in reaction to this extremely authoritarian media system (Battaglia, 2017). With so many journalists vanished or inactive, this has proven to indeed be the worst time for journalism in the nation’s history.

Despite the war, a great deal of reporters still operate in the country and produce a multitude of stories for local and international outlets. However, when those stories are released, they demonstrate varying degrees of bias and agenda setting. Agenda setting refers to the fact that under certain pretenses, the media does in fact tell people what to think, believe, who to trust, etc. (Wanta, Golan & Lee, 2004). This paper will examine how two foreign outlets, Al Jazeera and BBC, cover an event in a different nation and that is impossible without understanding the concept of agenda setting. An outlet’s news coverage can greatly influence how viewers perceive a nation, people or conflict (Wanta et al., 2004). Yemen does not necessarily get the attention it deserves because not all countries were created equally, so even though more than 10,000 people have died in the conflict and more keep dying, agenda setting by news outlets severely limits coverage. According to the UNICEF (2017), an average of 5 children a day are injured or killed in the country and Yemen is in dire need of humanitarian aid (AFP in Sana’a, 2017). This is dangerous because according to Wanta et al. (2004), agenda setting can heavily influence public perception and drive policy. In 2016, CNN called the Yemen Civil War the “forgotten war”, a term Amnesty International also uses, because Syria has largely distracted the world from Yemen (Almasmari & Dewan, 2016). The term was borrowed from Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, who said even though it is one of the biggest crises, it feels like a silent crisis and situation (Battaglia, 2017). Syria is a distraction, but it doesn’t help that the war makes Yemen hard to cover. According to Almasmari and Dewan (2016), the quagmire is so complicated that it makes it difficult to know who is right or wrong. Furthermore, it is very expensive to report in Yemen because of the inaccessibility and lack of freelance journalists on the ground (Salisbury, 2017). Agenda setting is based on news outlets’ perception of how important a story is. For example, Syria is deemed as more important than Yemen, in part, due to a much higher death toll and the Russian involvement. For this reason, Syria is more widely covered, even though, both countries pose the same types of dangers to reporters. The dangers of agenda setting are very real in terms of a lack of humanitarian aid and compassion for the Yemeni people.

The media landscape in Yemen should be composed of journalists who have a global outlook not only regarding the conflict, but in general. The term global journalism refers to a universal way of practicing journalism and it looks almost like anything you would see on your nightly newscast (Berglez, 2013). Berglez’s research focuses on Sweden because it is truly a globalized nation due to its access to internet and its general dependence on the rest of the world in terms of trade (Berglez, 2013). Yemen, is much like Sweden, it is extremely dependent on the outside world in terms of everything from aid to trade. That is why it is important to understand the concept of global journalism and the global journalist before going any further. The global journalist, with her global outlook, primarily focuses on the interdependent nature between “us” and “them” (Berglez, 2013, p.26). To take it one step further, the journalist blurs that dichotomy between “us” and “them” and creates “we” because she recognizes the interconnected nature of the world is inescapable. One of the most important ideas the global journalist must stress is the idea of “a discourse of inescapability” (Berglez, 2013, p.28). This is the idea that the seemingly distant and extremely foreign thing on television, be it climate change or war could “threaten, annoy, control or reach” you no matter where in the world you may live (Berglez, 2013, p.28). The conflict in Yemen can receive the attention it deserves if the media landscape in Yemen were primarily or entirely composed of global journalists.

Qatar and the UK are two examples of globalized nations because of the mutual dependence between they and the world. The two nations were chosen because they are in different regions of the world, and each country has a different relationship with the warring factions. Qatar has had a tumultuous relationship with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf Nations since Saudi Arabia imposed an embargo on Qatar in the summer of 2017. According to Malone (2017), prior to the cutting of ties between Qatar and several of its neighbors, there was already tension in the region. Malone (2017), credits it to Qatar’s independent streak, or what he describes as not listening to everything Big Brother Saudi Arabia says. With this in mind, it begs the question how the state owned Al Jazeera would cover a Saudi-led conflict. Al Jazeera English was started in 2006 as an off-shoot of the still operational Al Jazeera Arabic, which started in 1996. This paper will mostly focus on AJ English, a network that prides itself in being “challenging and bold” and in the fact that they provide a voice for the voiceless (Al Jazeera, 2017). On the surface, the network seems to have the requirements for a proper journalism outlet. If you dive deeper, you’ll learn that they put their mission statement to practice all over the world with more than 10 channels and divisions (Al Jazeera, 2017). From Pakistan to Egypt, the network has been a disturbance in the region, but their disturbance through coverage is not limited to the Middle East. It has been seen a far away as North America, where the network has reported on topics like doping in US sports and injustices committed by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti. Al Jazeera and Qatar were chosen because the former is a news powerhouse in the region with an extensive global network and the latter has an active political conflict with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

On the other hand, the UK and Saudi Arabia have never been closer. In a response to opposition leaders in 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May remained vehement about the importance of strong ties with the Saudis (BBC, 2017). She also reminded reporters and her opponents that the UK remained one of the top humanitarian donors to the civil war (BBC, 2017). The BBC, much like Al Jazeera, is state owned but it is much older. The British Broadcasting Corporation, was formed in 1927 as a radio broadcaster (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). The BBC has absolute independence but the network is still answerable to Parliament (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). The Queen appoints 12 members to an independent panel known as the BBC Trust and they oversee day-to-day operations (Britannica, 2017). The BBC quickly grew into a nationwide broadcaster that was eventually transmitted throughout Britain’s colonies before eventually spreading to the entire world as we know now. Its spread wasn’t only in broadcast but also influence; many nations, like the US, have copied the British model (Britannica, 2017). Today, the BBC has multiple television and radio stations across the UK broadcasting everything from pop music to hard news. In addition, the network is globally syndicated, for example, in the US, there is BBC USA. Its global popularity can be credited to its extensive global coverage and high operational standards. The network is not permitted to broadcast any opinion of its own regarding current affairs and public policy (Britannica, 2017). Finally, they have to remain as impartial as possible in the treatment of all matters, especially controversy. The BBC was selected because of its objective standards, its global reach and due to Britain’s personal connection with Yemen as provider of aid and supporter of the Saudi-led coalition.

Generally speaking, the BBC does a fairly comprehensive job of covering the conflict in Yemen. The outlet has reported on the conflict since the start, but some organizations have a problem with how they have covered Yemen as compared to other places. In 2015, BBC Watch, a group that monitors coverage of Israel “for accuracy and impartiality”, criticized the BBC’s initial coverage, describing it as limited. The group pointed out how quickly the BBC “parachuted” in journalists to the Gaza Strip in 2014 as Israel launched Operation Protective Edge that summer but chose not to do the same when the Saudi-led coalition began bombing and killing Yemeni civilians (BBC Watch, 2015). Furthermore, the group criticized the BBC for not sending its “big name” reporters (BBC Watch, 2015). That was the start of the war but has the network’s coverage improved since?

One of the most significant events since the beginning of combat has been the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s former president, who was killed in December 2017. The BBC’s coverage of his death is very comprehensive, it goes beyond rumors to confirm his assassination and to accurately pinpoint the culprits. Saleh’s forces had an alliance with the Houthi rebels that fell apart due to a conflict over a mosque in the capital Sanaa, which left 125 people dead (BBC, 2017). Throughout the coverage viewers and readers receive context, for example, like the fact that Saleh was ousted in 2011 through the Arab Spring, which allowed his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, to take power. The Houthis, longtime enemies of Saleh, became disillusioned with Hadi and formed a coalition with Saleh in 2014. After the schism involving the mosque, Saleh broke ties with the Houthis and offered to make a peace with the Saudi-led coalition. His hope was to end the coalition’s blockades, airstrikes and to finally bring the war to an end (BBC, 2017). This decision would cost him his life because it vexed the Houthis who considered it a “coup” (BBC, 2017). The BBC’s coverage gives viewers context and allows them to understand the significance of Saleh’s death by accurately portraying him as an integral figure in the conflict. Houthi fighters took control of most of Sanaa and eventually captured Saleh’s house before killing him. Proof of far-reaching coverage is further scene through the BBC’s examination of the impact of his death. In short, his death made peace more unattainable. It cites Saleh’s supporters wanting revenge and using the new ties with the Saudi-led coalition to retaliate against the Houthis. Furthermore, coverage explores how Saleh was seen as the middle ground between Houthi’s, thought to be backed by Iran, and the Saudi-led coalition.

In April 2018, there was an alleged Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a wedding and this will be the second way the BBC’s coverage is examined. This type of headline has become all too common as both sides have indiscriminately targeted civilians. The BBC’s coverage is simple and straight forward, they identify the who, what, when where, and how using very objective language. When it comes to attributing blame, the story cites two sources on the ground, Houthi rebels and human rights groups who both blame the Saudi coalition. One of the most significant parts of their coverage was their understanding of a globalized world, this isn’t just a Yemeni conflict. The BBC’s coverage reminds viewers that the planes used in the airstrike were most likely purchased from the UK or US and that violence only creates more of an international humanitarian crisis.

Overall, the BBC’s coverage has been effective and thorough since the start of the war. The network is very aware of the globalized nature of the crisis and that is reflected through their reporting. Nevertheless, they have often be criticized for sloppy reporting and biases. Case in point, Alghoul (2016) released a scathing report in 2016 critiquing the BBC’s reporting as “dispassionate”, citing a documentary she called ambiguous about who was besieging the city of Taiz. Alghoul (2016) was glad that BBC was covering the siege, but described their failure to show the systematic destruction and subsequent siege of the city by Houthi-Saleh forces as misleading. From the framing of the documentary, ostensibly, anyone or multiple sides could be at fault, which is very dangerous because Houthis are reported to have killed and attacked civilians indiscriminately during the siege. The documentary was complimented for covering the humanitarian crises and the global effect, but that came with a grain of salt, citing failure to bring up “local political and tribal issues” and generally regarding all resistance to Saleh-Houthi allegiance as Al-Qaeda or just terrorists (Alghoul, 2016).

Al Jazeera’s coverage of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s death in late 2017 is wide-ranging and the public can see a clear effort by the outlet to get all the facts right and tell the story in as objective a manner as possible. According to Younes (2017), one of the hardest parts about reporting on Saleh’s death was that reporters could not confirm how he died due to many rumors and false information. There was speculation he died on the road but many said he died at home. In the name of objectivity Al Jazeera refrained from picking a side without proof. The outlet merely gave Saleh’s son’s account of events and that of the Houthi rebels, the assassins. To properly analyze the significance of his death, Al Jazeera provides context in their reporting about how the Houthis came into existence, how they related to Saleh and clarified the warring sides. Furthermore, Al Jazeera does a good job of breaking down why Houthis wanted Saleh dead and they go one step further than most outlets by telling viewers what he was doing prior to his death. According to Younes (2017), he was trying to negotiate a peace deal with the Houthis but unlike the Saudis, they refused to offer him a political role once the conflict was over. Even in their own coverage, Al Jazeera mentions their limitations in reporting on the ground. In December 2017, a few days after Saleh’s death The Listening Post, an Al Jazeera show, tried to examine the difficulties of covering Yemen and Saleh’s death. The show pointed out that Saleh’s death could be viewed two ways; A) as the Saudis saw it; justification to continue their bombing campaign against murderous Houthis. B) as the Houthis saw it; a much needed strike against the conniving Saudi-led coalition and their new supporter Saleh (Al Jazeera, 2017). Al Jazeera’s coverage in this aspect is very comprehensive and objective because they walk a fine line where they realize both sides are extremely biased and therefore, strive to get both opinions in an attempt at salvaging the truth. Additionally, their reporting includes a global frame by looking at the many nations involved in the war both as humanitarians and combatants, as well as the conflict’s significance to those that don’t live in Yemen. Al Jazeera recognizes Saleh’s death as significant to the globalized world because it perpetuates the war, which has a global impact.

The alleged Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a wedding killed at least 20 people and left at least another 46 injured (Al Jazeera & News Agencies, 2018). According to Al Jazeera (2017), similar airstrikes targeting civilians have been seen committed by the Saudi-led coalition and that’s why many on the ground blame them for this incident. Al Jazeera reminds viewers that Saudi-led coalition planes are bought from the US and UK and that these same planes have targeted and killed civilians. Even with this tainted past in mind, the outlet did not rush to blame the coalition for the strike on the wedding. Instead, they reached out to the coalition in hopes of giving them a chance to share their side, since no one can say with certainty who bombed the wedding (Al Jazeera & News Agencies, 2018). The coalition vowed to investigate and denied all involvement. Al Jazeera relied on a medical official, at the hospital where victims were taken, in order to confirm the casualties (Al Jazeera & News Agencies, 2018). The outlet attributes blame to the coalition but does not say how it knows for certain; only referencing airstrikes from 2015 where they were found guilty (Al Jazeera & News Agencies, 2018).

There are many similarities between the coverages of the two outlets. The first, is their constant recognition of the complexity of the reality on the ground, a reality they do not fully comprehend and often are not a part of due to safety concerns. As a result, both outlets walk the fine line, where they could be right or wrong, since there is often not a way of independently verifying stories. In recognition of their limitations, both outlets turn to all sides, Houthis, coalition forces, humanitarian workers, etc. for statistics and facts in an attempt at finding the truth. The BBC and Al Jazeera provide viewers with a lot of global context and this helps to better understand the world. They do not simply paint it as “civil” conflict, instead, they report from a globalized perspective where they examine the global causes and effects of war. The cholera outbreak has been extensively covered by both outlets, for example, in order to examine how much pressure the UN and other humanitarian groups are under to find funding from the global community. There are however, a handful of differences between the two that cannot go without mentioning. One day before the aforementioned airstrike on a wedding, a Red Cross aid worker was killed by unknown gunmen, alleged to be Houthis. As of 48 hours later, there still was not a story published on Al Jazeera about his death. The BBC, on the other hand, has reported extensively on this aid worker’s death, his character and how his slaying reflects the chaotic nature of the conflict, even humanitarian workers aren’t safe. It is hard to say why Al Jazeera would refrain from covering this, a story that had all sides and the world reacting. Perhaps agenda setting can be credited.

A 2017 study by Jordan Media Institute stated that Al Jazeera and BBC Arabic coverages focused almost entirely on violence. The study analyzed 120 news reports from both outlets between 2011 and 2016. It concluded that 80% of the content on both networks was violence (JMI, 2017). When coverage tends to focus too much on violence there is a risk of compassion fatigue amongst viewers. There’s only so much war viewers can see before they become numb to the world. Furthermore, the study concluded that the two outlets had much room for improvement. The study found that both go beyond just providing information and border on sensationalism through their focus on violence (JMI, 2017). The really interesting portion was the study also observed that the outlets had their own primary interests in the warring sides. Al Jazeera focused on the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the BBC on Saleh and Houthi forces (JMI, 2017). Primarily focusing on the coalition could explain why the Red Cross worker’s death was overlooked by Al Jazeera. The BBC will credit the coalition for having the most civilian deaths but then focus most of the coverage on Houthis, for example. This concentration on one side can be seen through any long-term viewing of either outlet. It can be seen as focusing the media on what journalists on either side deem to be the “real problem”. It is not impossible to imagine that the Qatari outlet would focus on the coalition after years of political conflict with Saudi Arabia and other coalition nations. Conversely, it is not difficult to imagine that the UK based outlet does not deem their allies’ actions as the most pressing issue on the ground. There are many positive similarities between the two networks, nonetheless, as this study demonstrates, there are many clear signs of agenda setting and faulty journalistic practices.

This paper has shown that there is no such a thing as a civil war in the globalized world. The Civil War in Yemen has proven that every day for the last 3 years. The ideas that blossomed into the conflict were internal, but the war did not commence until a Saudi-led coalition bombed Yemen in support of ousted president Hadi. Although, the ensuing crisis has created the worst modern humanitarian crisis, this war has received very little attention. The lack of attention is why it is integral to analyze how news outlets have covered the conflict in order to determine how journalists can improve. The UK and Qatar were chosen because both nations have long and personal ties to Yemen and to the Saudi-led coalition. The UK is one of the largest humanitarian providers to Yemen but they are also responsible for selling British weapons to a coalition of countries ranging from Africa to the Middle East. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have long had conflicting visions for the Middle East, which finally culminated in the ongoing Saudi-led embargo of Qatar. National ties aside, both nations have arguably some of the best state-run news outlets in the world with the BBC in the UK and Al Jazeera in Qatar. These outlets have very different origins but they are both globally syndicated and cover stories all around the world through their multiple news bureaus. Generally speaking, the coverage by each outlet since 2015 has been excellent considering that journalists on the ground are in short supply and the situation is often too dangerous and fast-paced to keep up with. Viewers who rely on either outlet are typically well informed, as demonstrated through the respective coverages of Saleh’s death and an airstrike on a wedding. Journalists are hunted down by rebels, many have fled the country and those that remain have no semblance of independence. The media system has always been authoritarian but now, Yemen’s media system is chaos. However, instead of allowing the limitations of an authoritarian system severely impact their reporting, both outlets have found other ways to corroborate stories and uncover the truth. An important aspect in coverage has been the recognition of the globalized world we live in. This conflict is not civil nor is it remotely a regional one and both outlets remind you of that fact every day. Whether it is through analyzing the international source of weapons and aid or tracking the flow of migrants, they remind viewers of a globalized reality. With this being said, there are still clear signs of agenda setting seen in both outlets. The effects of agenda setting can vary depending on the intensity, regardless it is still very dangerous. The lack of attention both outlets give to Yemen as compared to Syria is appalling. When they do focus on Yemen, the coverage is primarily focused on violence and that does not help with compassion fatigue. A good portion of coverage focuses on aspects other than violence but viewers need more than that to be reminded that Yemen is not just a warzone. There are a few ways in which the outlets differ and that is just as important as their similarities. Al Jazeera spends far more time talking about the atrocities of the Saudi-led coalition, while BBC is mostly concerned with Houthi and Saleh forces. Primarily focusing on one side is dangerous because it inaccurately shapes viewers’ perspectives. There is much room for progress in terms of the journalistic coverage of Yemen. This paper has shown that in order for Yemen to be accurately reported on, the coverage should reflect the globalized world we live in, acknowledge the limitations of an authoritarian media system and recognize the dangers of agenda setting. Global journalists with a global outlook are needed in Yemen. It is one of the only ways to make viewers care more about the Yemeni people and their humanitarian needs. The people need to portrayed less as “others” and more like global citizens dealing with global problems like war and famine. Changing the way the conflict is perceived can only be done if all reporters have a global outlook. Yes, the BBC and Al Jazeera have a global perspective but they need to do better because from everything this paper has revealed both outlets are far from perfect. The BBC and Al Jazeera are integral pieces in changing how the War in Yemen is covered because they have the necessary resources and authority. It is the responsibility of journalists and the press to serve as a counterbalance to the chaos and as eyewitnesses who accurately document this war in Yemen.

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