September 21st Revolution.. Path toward restoring sovereignty, building national decision-making
Prior to the September 21st Revolution, Yemen was dependent on regional and international powers. Western embassies, particularly the American embassy in the capital Sana’a, controlled the levers of state, the pathways of sovereign decision-making, and internal affairs—reaching the point where the US ambassador was the de facto ruler of Yemen.
The US ambassador’s interference was not limited to the political aspect; it extended to both the military and security institutions. This led to the destruction of Yemeni defense capabilities to serve the American agenda and keep the country in a state of dependency and loss of the ability to possess effective means to defend its sovereignty.
This state of foreign dependency brought Yemen to the brink of collapse, until the September 21, 2014 revolution arrived to push the country from the stage of subservience to the stage of restoring national decision-making and sovereignty, putting an end to foreign interventions that had tampered with Yemen and its resources for long decades.
Ending guardianship and restoring national decision-making is considered among the most prominent achievements of the September 21st Revolution. Prior to the revolution, decisions were not made in Sana’a, but in foreign capitals, while state institutions executed the dictates and directives of international donor entities, without any consideration for the supreme national interests or the economic resources of the country.
The September 21st Revolution succeeded in thwarting the guardianship projects of regional and international powers, and in frustrating aggressive plans that sought to fragment and divide Yemen, turning it into an open arena for conflict, settling scores, and implementing foreign agendas.
Today, Sana’a has become the decision-maker and an inspiring model for Arab and Islamic capitals in dealing with regional and international parties on the basis of equality and independence—not as a subordinate party executing what is dictated to it, nor submitting to external pressures or political blackmail. It has come to deal with its regional and international surroundings based on a vision grounded in independent national decision-making and sovereignty.
The September 21st Revolution succeeded in ending decades of subservience and dependency, restoring Yemen’s pioneering role in the region. Yemen now possesses all components and means of deterrence that enable it to protect its sovereignty, defend its choices, and wrest its legitimate rights in the face of the forces of arrogance and their tools in the region, after having been viewed, in previous stages, as a backyard for neighboring countries.
This revolution reshaped the map of balances and powers to place Yemen in its rightful position at both regional and international levels, as a state that possesses its independent decision and takes its stances on various issues away from foreign dictates or guardianship. This is clearly demonstrated in Yemen’s firm and principled stances on the causes of the nation, foremost among them the Palestinian cause.
Despite attempts aimed at dissuading Yemen from its honorable stances, it took the lead on the Arab and Islamic stage in defending the causes of the nation, stemming from the principles of the September 21st Revolution. This prompted the forces of arrogance and hegemony to launch their military and economic wars against the Yemeni people to dissuade them from their positions toward their nation’s causes and sanctities; however, they failed.
The September 21st Revolution was distinguished by the depth of its popular connection, its rejection of foreign guardianship, and its launch from a free national will that accepts neither submission nor surrender. It was not driven or funded from abroad, which enabled it to end foreign interference in the country and consolidate the independence of national decision-making.
In line with its slogan “Freedom and Independence,” this revolution represented a translation of the Yemeni people’s aspirations toward freedom, the rejection of all forms of hegemony, guardianship, and foreign submission, and the non-acceptance of interference in their internal affairs or the compromise of any part of their land and resources. Yemen managed to steadfastly endure in the face of aggression over 12 years, maintaining its position rejecting guardianship and foreign interference.
In the context of striving for liberation from economic dependency, the September 21st Revolution paid great attention to this aspect by working to build a national economy capable of facing the repercussions of aggression and blockade, reducing reliance on the outside, encouraging and localizing national industries, and increasing production to achieve self-sufficiency—enabling the country to make its decisions without any external economic pressures.
Proceeding from this, Yemen began moving with steady steps toward building a national economy reliant on local resources and inputs, in parallel with expanding the cultivation of strategic crops to contribute to achieving food security, reducing the import bill, and decreasing foreign dependency, after the country had relied on imports to meet its needs prior to the outbreak of the September 21st Revolution.
This revolution also contributed to restoring respect for the unifying national identity of Yemenis, freeing Yemeni society from intellectual and cultural dependency on the outside, and thwarting enemy attempts to target this identity through soft warfare and imposing alien cultures on Yemeni society—a clear confirmation of Yemenis’ adherence to their national identity, culture, and civilization whose roots run deep in history.
The revolutionary leadership affirms that the battle with the enemy is no longer merely military, but has become a cultural, intellectual, and awareness battle. Therefore, the leadership has given this aspect great attention by focusing on awareness programs and activities aimed at consolidating faith-based identity and Quranic culture, and fortifying society against cultural infiltration and invasion, with the goal of building a generation adhering to its identity, values, and nation’s causes, capable of confronting challenges.
The Yemeni people celebrate the 12th anniversary of the September 21st Revolution while achieving great victories on various fronts and making immense sacrifices in confronting the Saudi enemy and its mobilizations in the battle to break the blockade, end the aggression and occupation, and restore national sovereignty and looted wealth—considering that one of the goals of the revolution of freedom, independence, and rejection of guardianship, subservience, and foreign dependency.