Luncheon on the Houthis of Yemen and the Threat They Pose (Austin)
May 20 @ 11:45 am - 1:30 pm CDT
| Share:
Participate in a luncheon discussion on the Houthis of Yemen and the threat they pose in the region and world. The Houthis of Yemen, once a minor Iran-backed militia, have emerged after the attacks of October 7 as a major force within Tehran’s “axis of resistance” due to their drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, their alliances with al-Shabaab and other jihadis, and their arms deals with Russia. The U.S. and western forces responded to the Houthis attacks on shipping beginning in January 2024 hitting Houthis targets in Yemen multiple times every month for 2024 and early 2025. On March 15, the U.S. began a series of strikes more intensive than any of the previous strikes against Houthi targets and for the first time targeted Houthi militant bases, leaders, and missile defense systems. Those strikes continue.
Former United Kingdom Ambassador to Yemen Edmund Fitton-Brown will address this transformation, what enabled it, how their rise to power affects regional dynamics, as well as the effects of the newest offensive and how the west can best counter the Houthis.
Speaker Background
Ambassador Edmund Fitton-Brown is a senior fellow with New America’s Future Security program and a former British diplomat. He graduated in history from Cambridge University and joined the Foreign Service in 1984. His career included postings in Finland, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates; and culminated as UK Ambassador for Yemen from 2015 to 2017.
He speaks Arabic, Finnish, and Italian, and he is best known as a specialist regarding the Middle East and counter-terrorism. He joined the United Nations in 2017 as an expert with the ISIL/Al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Team before taking over as coordinator of the team in January 2018. He was based in New York but undertook official missions all over Africa, Asia, and Europe. He functioned as the UN’s principal authority on the global threat posed by ISIL and Al-Qaida, making frequent appearances at high-level conferences and in the media. Ambassador Fitton-Brown completed his UN contract in July 2022 and moved to Austin, Texas. He holds advisory or fellowship positions with the Counter Extremism Project, the Middle East Institute, The Soufan Center, and the Royal United Services Institute.
Cost: $55
Organizer:
MElias@bens.org
Registration
More Events
Financing the Next Arsenal of Democracy: Growth Credit for Small Business
Register for our debut panel in the Financing the Next Arsenal of Democracy series, Growth Credit for Small Business. America’s national security ecosystem is changing—and how we utilize capital will define its future. As part of our Mobilizing Private Capital for National Security campaign, BENS is launching a panel series, Financing the Next Arsenal of Democracy, where private capital, government, and defense leaders explore how innovative financing tools can scale America’s defense industrial capacity. In this candid conversation and debut panel,…
Technology, Industry & Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices
As BENS continues to elevate solutions around building the arsenal of tomorrow, join us for a discussion to explore how emerging technologies, industrial capacity, and allied collaboration are reshaping deterrence and national security in the Great Power Competition. Led by Dr. Eyck Freymann and Harry Harlem, co-authors of Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry, and Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices, the conversation will explore how Congress, industry, and allied governments must work together to expand production and integrate new technologies…
Luncheon Discussion on Advances in Military Medicine (Dallas)
Please join BENS members and guests for a luncheon discussion on how the lessons of a small group of world class trauma experts who joined forces with America’s best combat medics to rewrite the rule book on how battlefield medicine can save lives and impact trauma throughout the United States. At the start of the first Gulf War, there had been very little progress in battlefield trauma care since the Civil War. The concepts embodied in Tactical Combat Casualty Care…
REFUNDS: Event Registration Fees are fully refundable up to 3 business days before the event. After that time, they are non-refundable as BENS has already incurred the expense of registration. Contact your Regional Director, the event coordinator, or email BENS@bens.org to withdraw from an event and begin the refund process. For additional information on refunds and payment policies, please visit our payment information page.