Yemen Endures

Why is Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, involved in a costly and merciless war against its mountainous southern neighbor Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East? When the Saudis attacked the hitherto obscure Houthi militia, which they believed had Iranian backing, to oust Yemen's government in 2015, they expected an easy victory. They appealed for Western help and bought weapons worth billions of dollars from Britain and America; yet two years later the Houthis, a unique Shia sect, have the upper hand.

In her revealing portrait of modern Yemen, Ginny Hill delves into its recent history, dominated by the enduring and pernicious influence of career dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled for three decades before being forced out by street protests in 2011. Saleh masterminded patronage networks that kept the state weak, allowing conflict, social inequality and terrorism to flourish. In the chaos that follows his departure, civil war and regional interference plague the country while separatist groups, Al-Qaeda and ISIS compete to exploit the broken state. And yet, Yemen endures.

The war in Yemen is finally coming under scrutiny as the West considers its controversial dealings with Saudi Arabia.

Yemen - a country of multiple realities, complex, layered, and explosive, where some of the hungriest people in the world strive to live. Ginny Hill is a rare outsider who has lived the country, she is superbly seasoned in its physical and political terrain. Her book is a revelation.--Jon Snow, Channel 4 News

The most authoritative account of the Yemen tragedy so far. Yemen Endures succeeds where others have failed in giving voice to the Yemeni people. Highly recommended. - Christopher Davidson, author of Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East

Yemen Endures is an invaluable guide to the crisis that has engulfed Yemen, combining history, analysis and vivid first-person testimony -- a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this bewilderingly multi-faceted conflict. - Robin Lustig, former presenter of The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 and Newshour on BBC World Service

There are all too few books written on Yemen, fewer still that get it right. Hill's expert guide through the quagmire is both timely and essential. This book achieves that through the author's rare balance of insight, candour and direct experience to produce a work that will be a marker of how modern Yemen ended up in war and collapse. - Iona Craig, former Times (of London) Yemen correspondent, winner of the Orwell Prize and the Martha Gellhorn Award

An eminently readable and highly insightful portrayal of a country in chaos. Hill's account of Yemen's history and torturous politics is vividly coloured by her own personal experiences. - Mehran Kamrava, author of The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since World War I

This is an extremely fine journalistic account of the turbulence in contemporary Yemen . . . provides a distinct perspective on the factors that allow Yemen to continue to exist . . . a fine read for anyone unfamiliar with Yemen to get up to speed in understanding the country. --Choice

Ginny Hill's detailed and highly readable account . . . is indispensable to understanding the story so far. . . . Hill is impressive proof that academic rigour, patient and persistent reporting, good contacts and fine writing are not mutually exclusive. Her book is full of vivid insights enriched by far deeper knowledge than can be accumulated during a brief visit. ---Ian Black, LSE blog

Written with the fluid cadence of a former journalist, it offers a highly accessible and important entry point for readers new to the history and politics of Yemen but also includes content that will help more seasoned readers better understand some long-standing puzzles . . . a well-written work of wide scope on questions of great urgency. -- Middle East Journal

A compelling and detailed account . . . combining a journalist's flair with the deep expertise from more than a decade of living in, working on and writing about Yemen, Hill weaves together the stories of Yemenis from several hundred interviews in a style that is both engaging and accessible-- International Affairs

[A] vivid and balanced account.--The Times Literary Supplement

Highly engaging and well written.--Bustan: The Middle East Book Review