At a pivotal moment, Yemen emerges from a long period of stagnation - almost becoming a truly forgotten country - to once again occupy the spotlight and awaken the world.

It is a nation that forms the flank of the Arab world, contrary to what some may have imagined in moments of negligence as merely a remote corner destined to be engulfed by neglect.

The security, stability, and unity of Yemen are fundamental pillars of Arab national security as a whole. The disintegration of a country as significant as Yemen is not just a bullet in the heart of the enduring Yemeni people, but a mine planted in the path of the entire region.

For more than six decades, Yemen has lived through a political journey worthy of reflection, despite its heavy cost amid unresolved cycles of conflict. During these years, the country witnessed profound transformations and crucial milestones, most notably independence and unity, as well as two major wars before unity between the two Yemens in 1972 and 1979, followed by the 1994 war after unity, alongside repeated coups and chronic tensions in both regions.

Despite this long political trajectory, the Yemeni scene still requires deeper analysis in light of current developments.

Over a span of twenty-three years (1967–1990), the southern region experienced the era of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, which saw five presidents and numerous leaders, producing both achievements and failures. Meanwhile, the northern region underwent its own experience within the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1990, also marked by five presidents, repeated leadership changes, severe instability, and overlapping political conflicts.

The two experiences closely resembled one another in the number of presidents and the intensity of tensions and conflicts, despite their different contexts.

On May 22, 1990, Yemeni unity was proclaimed, launching a more ambitious third experience that represented a rare historical opportunity for national consensus. Yet this chance was quickly squandered by the 1994 war, leaving a deep wound in the nation’s body and conscience. The wave of popular anger erupted in 2011, followed by the fall of Sana’a to the Houthi militia on September 21, 2014, opening the door to an open-ended war that has now lasted more than eleven years.

Today, Yemen stands at a new, highly complex and dangerous crossroads. Despite its long political experience and the multiplicity of forces and currents since the mid-twentieth century, the comprehensive national state project remains the greatest absentee - the missing entity that everyone seeks.

Over seven decades, Yemen has lived through three major political experiences of similar lifespans: the Yemen Arab Republic in the north, the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen in the south, and the unified Republic of Yemen. None of these experiences, however, were given sufficient opportunity to establish a stable state. The years of turmoil outweighed the years of stability, and Yemen lost its most precious historical opportunity after the 1990 unity to build the foundations of a modern civil state.

These failures are not the result of so-called “historical curses” or “geographical mistakes,” but rather the product of poor governance and the absence of a comprehensive national project.

In this context, the outcomes document of the National Dialogue Conference (2013–2014) remains the cornerstone of any serious vision for rebuilding the modern state, as it contains principles of coexistence, acceptance of others, and lessons learned from decades that Yemenis paid for with blood, tears, and displacement.

All this leads to the urgent need to formulate a vision for a Yemeni state that respects diversity, promotes regional integration, and prevents the reproduction of monopolies over power and wealth.

Laying the foundations for a federal Yemen has become an urgent necessity for peace, state-building, and organizing relations among its components. Sectarian visions, the consolidation of a “sacred center” as promoted by the Houthis, or the deepening of fragmentation and the targeting of state institutions are destructive paths that neither create peace nor restore past glory.

Building the future begins by moving away from cycles of conflict toward a vision that ensures a dignified life for all - a vision not governed by oppressive centralism or ideological domination, but rooted in realistic decentralization that can open broad horizons for growth and development.

There has never been a more critical moment for the voice of the enlightened elite. An elite that retreats today bears a moral and national responsibility to raise the voice of reason and wisdom, so that dialogue is not left to the sound of guns and the logic of violence.

Strengthening a broad national alignment to protect the values of just citizenship and preserve the unity of a diverse nation is a necessary condition for building the future. When diversity is grounded in mutual acceptance, respect for the law, and the protection of human dignity, it becomes a source of strength rather than division.

For decades, Yemen has been trapped in recurring cycles of conflict, reducing the meaning of achievement to merely extinguishing fires instead of fostering creativity or establishing the state as a unifying horizon and a system of life.

Amid all this, the question of the social contract - the foundation of any true civilizational project - remains marginalized: a contract based on an informed citizen aware of their rights and duties, a rational state governed by one law, an open economy that generates opportunity, and a confident Yemeni identity that recognizes diversity as a strength, not a fault line.

Wisdom will always remain Yemeni, no matter how clouded the current sky is with conflict. This is a nation whose stability ensures the stability of the region - a nation that stands as the flank of the Arab world, the gateway to its enlightenment, and the cradle of its history and enduring glory.