5. The European Union’s Role in the Yemen Crisis

Analyzing the European Union’s perspective on the crisis in Yemen means two different things: on the one hand, looking into the separate policies of 28 member states (minus the United Kingdom since a separate chapter is dedicated to that country’s policies in the book); on the other hand, focusing on the singular diplomacy of European institutions, elaborated and implemented by EU civil servants, EU leaders of the Commission, and politicians affiliated with the European Parliament. Both of these issues are dealt with in the course of this chapter, showing how the Yemen crisis sheds interesting light on the limitations and opportunities of European foreign policies in the contemporary Middle East, and how their fragmentation among member states can also become a resource. Yet, it also highlights how Yemen has primarily been viewed as a marginal issue by European decision-makers. EU institutions and member states acted as if they lacked proper information and understanding of Yemen and have let other powers take initiatives, while only acting as a secondary player.