It was one of Joe Biden's first major foreign policy decisions.
Less than a month after taking office in January 2021, the US president lifted two “terrorist” designations imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump, against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
At the time, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the move came in “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.” The United Nations, as well as humanitarian groups and American lawmakers, had warned that “terrorist” designations could disrupt the flow of aid to the country.
Now, almost exactly three years later, the Biden administration is reimposing one of the designations against the Houthis, declaring them a “specially designated global terrorist group” amid a series of attacks in the Red Sea.
And once again, human rights advocates and political analysts are sounding the alarm about the negative effects the decision could have on Yemeni civilians. Many also wonder whether Wednesday's designation will pressure the Houthis to end their attacks.
“I am very concerned about the devastating consequences for ordinary people in Yemen,” said Afrah Nasser, a nonresident fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, DC, who previously worked as a Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Nasser told Al Jazeera that the designation risks deepening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has seen a years-long war between the Houthis and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the UN, more than half of Yemen's population (18.2 million people) needs assistance, as the country reels from an economic crisis, rising costs, mass displacement and hunger.
“The ordinary Yemeni family today is suffering both from internal Houthi policies and from the policies of the international community in Yemen, such as this [US] designation we heard today,” Nasser said. “Yemenis are caught between two fires.”
Red Sea attacks
In a statement Wednesday morning, Blinken said the “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Group” (SDGT) designation came in response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“This designation seeks to promote accountability for the group's terrorist activities. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the United States will reevaluate this designation,” said the top US diplomat.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, began firing missiles at Israel and attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea shortly after the war in Gaza began in October.
The group pledged to attack ships linked to Israel as part of an effort to pressure the country's government to end its bombings in Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid deliveries to the Palestinian coastal enclave. He later expanded the threat to any commercial vessels traveling to and from Israel along the arterial trade route off the coast of Yemen.
The attacks led shipping companies to suspend operations in the Red Sea and drew condemnation from the United States and its allies.
Washington launched a naval coalition to protect commercial ships in December, and also carried out several strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen this month in what observers called a “dangerous” escalation.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration defended its decision to reimpose the SDGT designation on the Houthis, saying there would be “exceptions” to protect aid to Yemen.
“Today's designation is directed at the Houthis, not the Yemeni people,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.
When asked how sanctions related to negotiations with the Houthis would affect negotiations, Kirby responded firmly: “There are no negotiations. There is no currency. “It is a way of holding the Houthis accountable.”
But experts cast doubt on whether the SDGT designation would lead the Houthis to stop their attacks in the Red Sea, as the administration suggested.
“It seems very unlikely that it will have any positive effect on Houthi behavior,” said Brian Finucane, senior adviser for U.S. programs at the International Crisis Group think tank.
“I think it's a way to do something,” he told Al Jazeera. The reimposition of the SDGT designation, she added, is a reflection of Washington's refusal to acknowledge that the recent Houthi attacks are related to the war in Gaza.
“The Biden administration has put itself in a box… where it has no good policy options.”
the designation
An SDGT designation focuses primarily on the finances of an individual or group. In this case, it will freeze the Houthis' assets in the United States and prohibit American citizens from having any financial dealings with the organization.
And while “civil and criminal penalties may be imposed for violations,” the designation is more limited in scope than the second label the Trump administration had imposed on the Houthis: “Foreign Terrorist Organization” or FTO.
That label makes it a felony to support a blacklisted group.
“This [SDGT designation] It is a kind of minimum: restricting access to funds from abroad, access to international markets. These are things that the Houthis do not have and never had. They do not own shares on the New York Stock Exchange,” said Nabeel Khoury, former deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Yemen.
However, Khoury told Al Jazeera that the Houthis are unlikely to make a distinction between an SDGT or FTO designation and will see Wednesday's decision as an affront that could lead to further escalation.
Hours after the designation was announced, the Houthis said they had fired “naval missiles” at a US ship in the Gulf of Aden. US Central Command later confirmed The American owned and operated Genco Picardy was hit, causing some damage but no injuries.
“It's really baffling what this administration is doing. I don't think much thought has gone into this,” Khoury said. “This designation is rather an insult. It's the old glove in the face, slapping someone with your glove. You’re a little defiant, but you don’t really hurt them.”
Nasser also warned that the designation could further embolden the Houthis and “contribute to radicalizing some sectors of the population and strengthening the Houthi recruitment system.”
'Level of uncertainty for Yemenis'
However, while the SDGT designation is “more limited” than an FTO, the Biden administration is aware “that these sanctions could make things worse for the people of Yemen,” Finucane said.
This is because financial institutions and humanitarian organizations “are likely to be very cautious about engaging with the Houthis in Yemen,” particularly until clear rules are established around the new designation, Finucane explained.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration said it is “taking important steps to mitigate any adverse impact this designation may have on the people of Yemen.” The decision will take effect in 30 days, according to Blinken's statement, during which time the administration will consult with aid organizations and other interested parties.
The U.S. Treasury Department is also expected to issue licenses “authorizing certain transactions related to the provision of food, medicine, and fuel, as well as personal remittances, telecommunications and mail, and port and airport operations on which the Yemeni people depend.” ”.
An SDGT designation is doing something for the sake of doing something. Like an FTO designation, it is ineffective and will have no desired effect. While the FTO would have caused a certain catastrophe, an SDGT only carries a serious risk of catastrophe.
-Scott Paul (@ScottTPaul) January 16, 2024
But that has not diminished fears that the designation will negatively affect Yemenis.
“This designation would add another level of uncertainty and threat to Yemenis who are still caught in one of the world's largest humanitarian crises,” Scott Paul, Oxfam America's associate director of peace and security, told Al Jazeera in a written statement.
“The Biden administration is playing with fire and we ask them to avoid this designation immediately and prioritize the lives of Yemenis now.”
With files from Ali Harb of Al Jazeera in Washington, DC.
