Settlement of Yemen Crisis through Consociationalism: Possibilities and Challenges

Abstract

The international arena is marked by struggle for power and in the struggle for power, conflicts are inevitable. While conflict refers to an interaction of friction and discord brought on by contrasting, unbridgeable interests, crisis refers to the pinnacle of a conflict. Lying at the nexus between peace and war, crisis reveals most clearly and intensely the distinguishing feature of international politics and the logical starting point for theorizing about it. The nation has a long history of ethnic, regional, and religious differences and is currently dealing with a complicated combination of political, social, and economic issues. Moreover, Yemen's immense geopolitical importance in the Gulf region makes the crisis more turbulent. In this ongoing crisis, can consociationalism be a solution? is the prime question of this article. Consociationalism is a political arrangement that seeks to manage conflict and power-sharing between different ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups in a society. This article tries to analyze how consociationalism can be helpful to address the issues of marginalization, exclusion and pr  omote inclusiveness and cooperation between different groups. However, implementing consociational democracy in a country like Yemen is not without its challenges. There are several factors that can hinder the success of consociationalism in Yemen, such as a lack of trust and cooperation between different groups, the absence of effective institutions, and the presence of external actors with conflicting interests. So, this paper will also address the challenges of implementing consociational democracy in a deeply divided society, i.e., Yemen.