Securitisation imperatives and the exaggeration of Iranian involvement with the Houthi movement by international actors
| Published date | 01 May 2023 |
| Author | Tom Walsh |
| Date | 01 May 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13204 |
Global Policy. 2023;14:385–395.
|
385
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
1 | INTRODUCTION
This paper traces the development of a partic ular se-
curitisation narrative, which over- exaggerated Iranian
involvement with the Houthi movement between 2014
and 2015. It is important to contextualise, as, over time,
this narrative has gradually become a self- fulfilling
prophecy, with Iranian involvement steadily increas-
ing (Juneau, 2016; Shaif, 2019 ). During the build- up
to Operation Decisive Storm (ODS), a Saudi- led air
and naval campaign that consisted of comprehensive
bombing and blockading, Iranian involvement with the
Houthi rebels was minimal (Hill,2 017). Nevertheles s,
key figures from the Islamic Republic, especially wi thin
the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp s (IRGC), had
raised Saudi anxiety by espousing rhetor ical support
for the Houthis. There was not complete consensus
across the political and militar y classes in Iran that this
was the correct course of action, but memb ers of both
the IRGC and political elite goaded Riyadh by lending
rhetorical support to the Hout his. Saudi Arabia (KSA)
over- exaggerated the connection between the t wo, por-
traying the Houthis as a direct Iranian proxy, to justify
its intervention to international audiences, touch ing on
pre- existing anti- Iranian sentiment. Fearful of the grow-
ing likelihood of improved United States (US)– Iranian
relations through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), Riyadh took small instances of Iranian
influence in Yemen and amplified them to an untruth-
ful level (Mabon,2018). International audie nces, espe-
cially the US and the United Kingdom (UK), accepted
and co- opted this narrative. This paper argues that this
SPECIAL SECTION
Securitisation imperatives and the exaggeration of
Iranian involvement with the Houthi movement by
international actors
TomWalsh
Received: 24 May 202 2
|
Revised: 3 March 2 023
|
Accepted: 14 March 20 23
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 204
This is an open ac cess article under t he terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2023 The Author. Global Policy publishe d by Durham University an d John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE), Uni versity of Durham,
Durham, UK
Correspondence
Tom Walsh, London School of Economics
and Political S cience (LSE), Universit y of
Durham, Al Qasi mi Building, Durham
DH1 3LE, UK.
Email: tom.j.walsh@durham.ac.uk
Abstract
Through examination of elite- level discourse bet ween 2014 an d 2015, this paper
argues that the exaggeration of Iranian involvement with the Houthis ser ved to
justify the Saudi- led intervention in Yemen. Ironically, this had the effect of ben-
efiting Iran, as Riyadh moved their attention away from Iranian priorities in Syria,
undermined their own international credibilit y and spent billions of dollars on this
unwinnable conflict. Iran, Saudi Arabia (KSA) and some Western actors pushed
the narrative that the Houthis were deeply connected w ith the Islamic Republic.
While Iranian support was negligibl e during this period, Iran sought to increase
Saudi insecurity through rhetori cal support for the Houthis. Riyadh, keen to pro-
tect their interests in Yemen, over- exaggerated this connection to justif y their
airstrikes and blockades, which beg an with Operation Decisive Storm (ODS) on
March 25, 2015. Certain Western actors, sharing similar regional geopolitic al
priorities, adopted this narrative. This validated their suppor t for the Saudi- l ed
intervention. This, in turn, has had devastating consequenc es for the people
of Yemen. With these dynamics in mind, the paper asks three research ques-
tions: Was the Saudi- led over- exaggeration of Iranian involvement successful
in securitising ODS to international audiences? Was ‘Iranian involvement’ over-
exaggerated? Who ultimately benefited from this narrative?
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