Yemen is the latest epi-centre of conflict in an increasingly turbulent Middle East. US and UK forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, struck “a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels” in a bid to thwart their capacity to endanger international shipping moving through the Red Sea which in recent weeks has threatened to destabilise world trade.
The Houthis emerged in the early 1990s as an opposition movement to Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who they accused of corruption and being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. Allied to Hezbollah, the Houthis adopted an official slogan against the United States, Israel and the Jews. Assumed to be an Iran-proxy they are also on the other side of the great Islamic Sunni-Shia split.
Taking a step backwards to try to encapsulate Yemen’s background might be helpful since historical memories and past injustices tend to fester more than usually in this part of the world.
Yemen has existed at the crossroads of civilisation for more than 7,000 years, home to Sabaeans and the Queen of Sheba, a primary producer of coffee and in the 7th century, a center of Islamic learning. At this time, Yemen was the most advanced region in Arabia. Now it is described as a humanitarian disaster, one of the least developed countries in the world, ranking second-worst on the Global Hunger Index.
By the 19th century the country was divided between the Ottoman (Turkish) and British empires. The British took over Aden in south Yemen as a protectorate and then a Crown colony (1937 to 1963) to facilitate the trade route to India. Up to the 1960s the Port of Aden was one of the busiest ship-bunkering, duty-free shopping, and trading ports in the world. The British exit in 1967 was a botched up and violent mess.
In the latter half of the 20th century Yemen was split between north and south with the two states uniting in 22 May 1990 to form the modern Republic of Yemen. Ali Abdullah Saleh was the first president until his resignation in 2012 in the wake of the Arab Spring. Since 2014 a civil war has been raging, widely regarded as part of the Iran-Saudi proxy conflict, with Saudi Arabia invading in 2015, their brutal methods attracting international condemnation. The Houthis are now reckoned to have won in the north and the Saudis have attempted to make peace with them.
The Yemen Republic 22 May 1990 chart has a Gemini Sun with the triple conjunction spread out through Capricorn. It did register the Saudi Invasion of 26 March 2015 on an exact Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn hitting the Yemen Neptune – so it works well enough but the political situation is and has been for decades frankly dizzying with a revolving carousel of violent unrest, civil wars and coups.
Wiki: In March 2020, the Trump administration and key U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, cut off tens of millions of dollars for health care programs and other aid to the United Nations’ appeal for Yemen. As a result of funding cuts, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the UN agencies were forced to either close or reduce more than 75 per cent of its programs that year alone, affecting more than 8 million people.
More background than astrology but it clarifies two things. 1) The cauldron of history is constantly bubbling: empires and dynasties rise and fall, dark ages are followed by cultural peaks and then the process reverses. It might damp western arrogance to absorb the heights reached in the past by nations that are now regarded as ‘below the salt’ (= of lesser rank).
2) I am beginning to revise my antipathy to the mindless mantra about the British Empire which I regularly delete from troll posts. Well I still think the word salad diatribe of psychopathic, narcissistic, neoliberal blah blah deserves to be despatched into a cyber black hole. But there is no doubt the old Empire left behind some gaping wounds. Aden being one of them. Ditto ditto US and UK support for autocratic corrupt rulers in the region over the decades has also created understandable antipathy.
See previous posts – Iran pushing USA out of ME 31 December 2023; and 8 October 2023.
PS February is brewing up to be a challenging month with Mars joining the Sun, Pluto and Mercury there midmonth to form an immediate conjunction with Pluto and two days later Venus moves into Aquarius also to conjunct Pluto. Often violent clashes break out when Mars Pluto is around especially in the Middle East; and Venus Pluto will only ramp the emotionally intense mood up more.
Add On: There has been more talk since this latest conflict broke out about whether the Ben Gurion Canal project will be pushed ahead, with talk from the Arab side about it being driven through Gaza – though that may just be conspiracy theory.
https://www.newarab.com/news/what-israels-ben-gurion-canal-plan-and-why-gaza-matters
Mars Pluto is tough energy. This snuck up on me. I need to pay closer attention. Thanks Marjorie for noting it. The last thing I want is a conflagration in the MidEast, but I have been worried about Iran for years. I wonder what happens to the whole thing if they ever get “The Bomb” as I would not trust Iran to show restraint.
I have no problem with the Iranian people. I have worked for and dated people who came here after the Shah fell. The current theocracy in charge has me very worried.
I noticed that four years ago today, on 12th January 2020 Saturn was conjunct Pluto at 22 degrees Capricorn, beginning a significant new cycle. Yesterday’s New Moon at 20 Capricorn, square the Nodes at 22 Aries/Libra, perhaps acts as a reminder of this change point in our world? Many of the more positive resolutions and thoughts people had as the pandemic began, and rolled out, have been sidelined as we cling onto the Capricorn past. The impact on global trade and finances caused by Houthi attacks seems relevant here.
As Hugh writes:
“The Suez Canal was shut from 1967-1975 without the world ending. As a consequence one does wonder why US and British taxpayers should be paying to defend international shipping companies based in tax havens or the flow of Chinese exports to western shops.”
By the end of 2020 another new cycle began. Jupiter and Saturn were conjunct at 0 Aquarius on the Winter Solstice of 2020. The re-entry of Pluto into Aquarius, plus the intense Mars/Pluto conjunction in February, echoes this degree. Jupiter and Saturn will square each other this summer, emphasising law, justice, religion and expansion vs contraction themes.
As an aside, on the major conjunctions I’ve seen it suggested the Saturn-Uranus conjunction in Sag 1987 was the beginning of globalisation. They are conjunct again in 2032ish in Gemini bringing localisation. Something to bear in mind over the (very) longterm.
The Suez Canal was shut from 1967-1975 without the world ending. As a consequence one does wonder why US and British taxpayers should be paying to defend international shipping companies based in tax havens or the flow of Chinese exports to western shops. It is rather galling to hear the likes of IKEA and Next in the U.K. whining about the interruption in trade impacting their business. Perhaps they ought to source their goods closer to home then they would not have these issues. It should be noted also that much of the trade through the Red Sea is bound for the Middle East and Mediterranean Europe not the US or the U.K. so perhaps they might want to do something other than sit on their hands when these problems occur.
Hugh Have a look at the Ben Gurion Canal plan….
Hi Marjorie,
My understanding is the Iran has a hand in bankrolling the Houthi’s. The Houthi’s have been firing missiles at military and commercial ships in the region. It is Iran I am worried about – as Iran and Saudi Arabia are not friends.
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231215-missiles-fired-from-houthi-territory-in-yemen-target-red-sea-cargo-ships