Beyond the Arab cold war : the international history of the Yemen civil war, 1962-68

313 Pages·2017·5.496 MB·English

by  Orkaby, Asher

Beyond the Arab Cold War
OXFORD STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL HISTORY
james j. sheehan, series advisor
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In War’s Wake
Europe’s Displaced Persons in the Postwar Order
gerard daniel cohen
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Extraterritoriality and Imperial Power in Nineteenth-C entury
China and Japan
pär kristoffer cassel
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christopher hodson
Gordian Knot
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of the Post–Cold War Order
paul thomas chamberlin
Mecca of Revolution
Algeria, Decolonization, and the Third World Order
jeffrey james byrne
Beyond the Arab Cold War
The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962– 68
asher orkaby
Beyond the Arab
Cold War
The International History of the
Yemen Civil War, 1962– 68
ASHER ORKABY
1
3
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Orkaby, Asher, author.
Title: Beyond the Arab Cold war : the international history of the Yemen
civil war, 1962–68 / Asher Orkaby.
Other titles: Oxford studies in international history.
Description: New York, New York : Oxford University Press, 2017. |
Series: Oxford studies in international history |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017000719 (print) | LCCN 2017007435 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190618445 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780190618452 (Updf) |
ISBN 9780190618469 (Epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Civil war—Yemen (Republic)—History—20th century. |
Yemen (Republic)—History—1962–1972. |
Yemen (Arab Republic)—History—Revolution, 1962. | Cold War.
Classification: LCC DS247.Y45 O75 2017 (print) | LCC DS247.Y45 (ebook) |
DDC 953.3205/2—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017000719
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
To my father, who taught me that the deserts of Yemen
are no impediment to success.

Contents
Acknowledgments  ix
Beyond Paradigms: An Introduction to the Yemen Civil War  1
1. International Intrigue and the Origins of September 1962  6
2. Recognizing the New Republic  30
3. Local Hostilities and International Diplomacy  58
4. The UN Yemen Observer Mission (UNYOM)  79
5. Nasser’s Cage  106
6. Chemical Warfare in Yemen  129
7. The Anglo- Egyptian Rivalry in Yemen  152
8. Yemen, Israel, and the Road to 1967  169
9. The Impact of Individuals  178
10. The Siege of Sana’a and the End of the Yemen Civil War  197
Epilogue: Echoes of a Civil War  207
Notes  215
Bibliography  269
Index  287

Acknowledgments
I CONSIDER MYSELF fortunate to have received the wisdom and guidance
from three pillars of the academic community while researching and writ-
ing this book: Roger Owen instilled upon me the wisdom of decades of
experience in the field of Middle East History; Erez Manela meticulously
and thoughtfully read through many drafts, helping me look beyond the
empirical analysis to the much broader world of international history;
Steven Caton served as a constant reminder that as international as this
narrative became, it was at its core a story about Yemen.
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard and my mentor
Susan Kahn helped me grease the wheels of university complexities,
ensuring that I was always funded and on track to finishing this book
on time. Bill Granara provided me with a supportive research home at
Harvard for as long as I needed to complete this project. Both Clive Jones
and Jesse Ferris offered invaluable help at each stage of my international
research and writing. I would also like to thank Simon C. Smith, Tore
Peterson, Charles Schmitz, J.E. Peterson, and Timothy Nunan for reading
selected book chapters. I am also indebted to Scott Walker at the Harvard
Map Department and all of Harvard’s librarians. This book could not have
been brought to publication without the careful attention of the Oxford
University Press editorial team.
The number of archivists and academics who have helped me along the
way in Britain, Canada, Israel, Russia, Switzerland, the United States, and
Yemen are too numerous to list individually, hardly justice for those who
devoted many hours facilitating my intensive archival schedule and pace.
This globetrotting research could not have been accomplished without the
generosity of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the John Anson
Kittredge Education Fund, the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, the
Society for the Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), the