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Analysis: Fighting recedes, but peace in Yemen remains distant – Al Jazeera English
Despite relative quiet on the front lines and negotiations between the Saudis and the Houthis, peace isn’t a given.
For the past year, Yemen has been in a state of no war and no peace. While preferable to all-out warfare, it is also a status that is not sustainable.
There has been a heavy focus on diplomatic efforts to seal an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But any deal between those two parties is unlikely to solve the Yemeni civil war. Instead, experts say, that outcome would require reconciliation between a host of various Yemeni groups.
Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a Chinese-brokered agreement on March 10 to renormalise diplomatic ties. This détente has also helped cool tensions between the Saudis and Houthis.
Riyadh appears determined to find a dignified exit to the conflict in Yemen, so it can focus more on its internal development. This de-escalation with Tehran has advanced its interests in preventing the Saudi-Houthi conflict from returning to all-out war in the aftermath of the expiration of a ceasefire in October.
“The thawing of Saudi relations with Iran has had a cooling effect on Saudi-Houthi tensions,” Nabeel Khoury, the former United States deputy chief of mission in Yemen, told Al Jazeera.
“On the positive side, reduced tensions have led to a prolonged ceasefire, at least in northern Yemen. The loosening of the blockade around the north has led to increased movement of Yemenis in and out of Sanaa and hence a good breathing spell for the majority of Yemenis who live under Houthi control,” Khoury said.
Although an improved relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran may be seen as opening the door to a lasting peace with the Houthis, the Yemeni rebels are not Iran’s proxy. Therefore, even if Iranian officials sincerely want to rein in the Houthis, the extent to which Tehran could successfully do so is unclear.
“There may be people in Saudi who think that this [Saudi-Iranian diplomatic deal] might have a significant impact on the Houthis, but I suspect that those who are better informed and closer do realise that the Iranian influence on the Houthis is very limited,” Helen Lackner, the author of books that include Yemen in Crisis: Autocracy, Neo-Liberalism and the Disintegration of a State, told Al Jazeera. “When the Houthis and the Iranians want the same thing, then they both do it. When the Houthis want something that the Iranians don’t like, they simply ignore whatever the Iranians are saying. It’s not as if the Iranians can say to the Houthis do this, do that, and they do it. It just isn’t that way.”
Since the Saudi-Iranian diplomatic agreement was signed, representatives of the Houthis have stressed that the renormalisation deal between Tehran and Riyadh could not supplement a deal between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
“This point was proven during the Saudi ambassador [to] Yemen’s trip to Sanaa in April, where he met with his Houthi and Omani counterparts,” Veena Ali-Khan, a Yemen researcher at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. “To [Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber’s] surprise, the Houthis were unwilling to make any concessions, and he left empty-handed. If anything, the Houthis capitalised on Saudi and Iran’s new diplomatic relations to prove their independence from Tehran, something which they’ve long repeated to Riyadh.”
It will be challenging for Riyadh to obtain leverage over the Houthis, who perceive Saudi Arabia as wanting to end its involvement in the now almost nine-year Yemeni conflict. The Houthis sense that they have an upper hand, giving them little reason to compromise much with Riyadh and other actors.
“Saudi is now keen to exit the war, but for the Houthis, war has become a way of life,” Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen expert at Girton College, Cambridge, said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “After nearly two decades of on-off wars, the Houthis are unlikely to agree to peace without extracting major concessions in the form of power, territory and resources.”
Within this context, it will be critical to keep an eye on Marib and possible Houthi aggression towards the government-controlled, resource-rich city. “If you look at the discourse from the Houthis, it’s getting more aggressive,” Lackner said.
She added that an important question to consider was whether a renewed Houthi offensive against Marib, which the group has failed to take during several previous offensives, would result in Saudi air strikes being renewed.
“The only thing in my view that prevented the Houthis from taking Marib was the Saudi air strikes, so should the Houthis start attacking Marib again, would the Saudis and the Emiratis intervene with their air strikes starting again? I don’t know.”
Saudi and Houthi negotiators have been discussing a deal consisting of three phases: humanitarian issues, military arrangements and talks between Yemeni factions. According to Ali-Khan, the two sides have thus far failed to move beyond the first phase.
“The Houthis want an agreement that sees a slice of the government’s oil wealth go to their central bank. They do not want a deal that leaves them financially beholden to Riyadh, which explains their hard line on a wealth-sharing agreement before they will entertain intra-Yemeni talks. The Houthis also want the Saudis to stop supporting their Yemeni rivals and to foot the bill for reconstruction payments on their side,” Ali-Khan said.
“Despite the political deadlock, there is evidence on the ground that a ‘silent agreement’ could be in the making,” Ali-Khan explained. “In the run-up to the Eid holiday, Sanaa airport opened for more destinations and flights. This could be an attempt by Riyadh to maintain diplomatic momentum as it buys time for ongoing discussions with the Houthis.”
Yet believing a Saudi-Houthi pact by itself could bring peace and stability to Yemen is naïve. Many other divisive issues would not be automatically resolved just because Riyadh and the de facto government in Sanaa reach a deal.
“A long-term peace deal between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis would permanently end Saudi-led air strikes, but it would not end the conflict. There are many factions and militias invested in the Yemen war beyond just Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, whose aims and ambitions would all need to be addressed for peace to become a reality in Yemen,” Kendall explained.
As Khoury said, overcoming the “tough challenge” of reaching a “Yemeni-Yemeni rapprochement” is necessary for a broader peace to take shape across Yemen.
“For that to happen, a new sense of realism has to set in among Yemenis on such issues as southern independence, sharing of natural resources and central bank assets, and an agreement on freedom of navigation for north and south in and out of all Yemeni ports,” the former US diplomat told Al Jazeera.
The role of the United Arab Emirates, which backs the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), cannot be overlooked.
Abu Dhabi has been notably absent from the Saudi-Houthi talks, and some experts question its commitment to promoting nationwide peace across Yemen.
“Beyond a cessation of hostilities with the north, the Emiratis have no interest in promoting a general peace inside Yemen that allows the expansion of Houthi influence in the south,” Khoury said. “Of particular importance for the UAE is their close relations with [the separatist] southern leadership that allows Emiratis control of southern seaports and sea lanes around the entrance to the Red Sea.”
The dysfunctionality and fragility of Yemen’s UN-recognised government, currently represented by the Presidential Leadership Council and officially backed by Saudi Arabia, all weaken the anti-Houthi coalition. The council’s nature and the way it was set up in 2022 – a sudden announcement made in Riyadh – have significantly contributed to the entity’s inability to gain any foothold in Yemen. As Lackner explained, the Houthis and the STC are “actively trying to undermine” the Presidential Leadership Council.
Against this backdrop, there is every reason to be concerned about further fragmentation in Yemen, especially with the establishment of more rival power bases in southern Yemen.
“The STC has increased its diplomatic offensive as alternative political structures like the Hadramawt National Council emerge in the southeast,” Kendall told Al Jazeera. “It would be wrong to think of a peace deal between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia as the end of the war or even the beginning of the end. Unless power is shared judiciously, it could just be the end of the beginning.”
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What time is Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III today? Schedule, main card start time for 2023 exhibition boxing fight – Sporting News
Floyd Mayweather once again steps inside the ring to compete in an exhibition fight. This time, he faces someone with legit combat sports experience and a last name nobody will ever forget. Mayweather faces John Gotti III, the grandson of infamous gangster John Gotti, on June 11.
The fight is inside the FLA Live Arena in Florida and airs on the Zeus Network.
Gotti turned pro in 2017. Winning five in a row to start his MMA career, Gotti lost his last fight in 2020 against Nick Alley. The 30-year-old has since competed in boxing bouts, winning two contests in the past eight months.
Calling this fight a “pinch-me moment,” Gotti has nothing but respect for Mayweather. However, he will not let his fandom get in the way of what he needs to do.
MORE: Boxing vs. MMA history: Mayweather vs UFC’s McGregor and more
“I’ve been following him since I was eight years old,” Gotti said via Boxing Scene. “This was my idol. This was a guy I did school projects on. It was a guy I looked up to. The fact that I’m in a position to stand across the ring from Floyd is a tremendous honor. But make no mistake, June 11, I’m bringing bad intentions to that man. I don’t care if it’s an exhibition or not. You signed to fight me, there’s no quarter. It’s kill or be killed.”
This is the latest exhibition for Mayweather, who retired in 2017 at 50-0. In 2018 he teamed with RIZIN and beat young kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa via TKO. Mayweather fought Logan Paul and former training partner Don Moore in non-scored bouts. He beat Mikuru Asakura and YouTuber Deji in 2022 via TKO. In February, Mayweather went the distance against MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers.
Here is all you need to know regarding Mayweather vs. Gotti, from the time, channel, and card.
Mayweather vs. Gotti begins at 6:30 p.m ET | 3:30 p.m. PT. Ringwalks are scheduled for 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
MORE: How to bet on combat sports
Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III can be streamed on Zeus Network.
Fans in the U.S. can pre-order the fight for $15.99. They can also sign up for the network at the annual rate of $59.99 per year. In the U.K., the pre-order price is about £13, $21 in Canada, and $23 in Australia.
MORE: History of boxing video games
Daniel Yanofsky is a combat sports editor at The Sporting News.
Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club 2 comic brings back the character played by Jared Leto in the movie for an unexpected, but critical role.
Angel Face, played by Jared Leto in the Fight Club film adaptation, makes a surprise return in Chuck Palahniuk's comic book sequel to his original Fight Club novel – coming back with both revenge, and, oddly enough, love on his mind, following the vicious beating he received from the Narrator a decade earlier.
Fight Club 2 – by Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart, Dave Stewart, and Nate Piekos of Blambot – features the son of the Narrator and Marla Singer being kidnapped, with a returning Tyler Durden being the prime suspect, compelling the Narrator to reintegrate himself into Fight Club. In the closing pages of the series' fourth issue, the permanently-scarred Angel Face reappears.
In a brutal display that directly mirrors the original, Angel Face administers a brutal beating to the Narrator. He ends up knocking the Narrator into unconsciousness, which triggers Tyler Durden to awaken in his place at the start of Issue #5. Angel Face knows what's happened immediately, and subsequently is horrified as Tyler mercilessly returns the meeting. It is not until a few issues later, in Fight Club 2 #9, that it is revealed Tyler has been having an affair with Angel Face for quite some time. The Narrator discovers this only when he's awake, rather than Tyler, at a moment Angel Face kisses him.
As the Narrator's therapist says, on the same page as the reveal, ""a sociopath will sleep with anyone to gain her allegiance … or his." The re-emergence of Angel Face gives readers a glimpse of exactly how being a Fight Club member for so many years has worn on Angel Face's body. Aside from the distorted face the Narrator gave him ten years prior, he is littered with scabs, scars, and bruises from decades of sparring. It's clear that Angel Face has clung on completely to the ideas that Tyler put in his head years prior, whether it is because he's a true devotee, or he has nothing else.
Angel Face is depicted as not only unflinchingly loyal to Tyler Durden's ideals, but to the man himself. It remains ambiguous in the text whether Tyler returns Angel Face's feelings, or the extent to which he can feel at all. Angel Face is in love with Tyler – for Tyler, a physical relationship may just be a way to retain Angel Face's loyalty, to continue holding power over him. In this way, it is reminiscent of how the Narrator describes Tyler's relationship with Marla in the opening pages of the original book. "This is about property as in ownership. Without Marla, Tyler would have nothing."
Tyler's connection to Angel Face may not run as deep as with Marla in Fight Club, but Angel Face is still a useful vessel for him, one that someone as possessive as Tyler isn't willing to give up so easily. On the chance that Angel Face may have harbored these feelings in the original Fight Club, it also re-contextualizes their previous dynamic. It certainly offers a new explanation as to why Angel Face stays a follower of Project Mayhem/Fight Club for a decade after the Narrator beat him up. Most certainly, it further complicates Fight Club's iconic twisted love triangle of Marla, Tyler, and the Narrator.
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Joe Anthony Myrick (or JAM) is a comics writer who specializes in, of course, covering the big figureheads of the industry (Marvel and DC), as well as lesser-known indy parties and some personal favorites like BOOM! Studios.
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Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte fight results, highlights: 'King Ryan' bounces back for late TKO win – CBS Sports
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Although it was far from perfect, Ryan Garcia reminded boxing fans of his explosiveness on Saturday as the junior welterweight star successfully rebounded from the first defeat of his career.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs), despite a fight week soaked in drama amid a war of words with his own promoters, showed no mercy to Mexican slugger Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) in an eighth-round TKO inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
Not only did the victory mark the 25-year-old Garcia’s return to the win column just eight months removed from his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in their pay-per-view blockbuster, it also marked a successful debut of his new partnership with 2022 trainer of the year Derrick James, who became Garcia’s third head coach in as many years.
“It was a great performance but I just want to give honor to God and give him the glory,” Garcia said. “I fought hard to find myself again. I did a lot of soul searching and I just wanted to thank him.
“[Duarte] was a strong fighter. He took a good punch. He’s a Mexican fighter like me and he’s tough. I hit him with some hard shots but he just kept coming. I started using my legs, just as Derrick told me to between rounds, and it opened up the shots.”
Garcia’s ability to focus was impressive considering the potential distraction of his nasty feud with Golden Boy Promotions, which geared up to an all-new level at Thursday’s final press conference when Garcia, Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins took turns airing out their private laundry.
“It just comes with the territory,” Garcia said. “I am a person about moving forward and having a kind heart and showing forgiveness so I just keep it at that. I want to show positivity in this world. I said what I said but I hold no hard feelings.”
Despite the highlight-reel finish to the fight, which began when Garcia stung Duarte with a beautiful check left hook in Round 8, the total sum of Garcia’s comeback performance was a mixed bag.
While it’s certainly a result that could be excused for the first fight of a new relationship between trainer and fighter, Garcia continued to show puzzling (and potentially dangerous) reactions to Duarte’s pressure and spent most of the middle rounds avoiding exchanging of any kind as the crowd booed Garcia’s constant movement.
Yet, the very thing that makes Garcia so dynamic — the lethal combination of his speed and power — exploded virtually out of nowhere in Round 8 to instantly combust a close fight. After hurting Duarte badly with his counter left hook, Garcia exploded with combinations to eventually drop Duarte.
Even though Duarte was able to beat the count, referee James Green didn’t like the look in his eyes and waved off the fight at 2:51 of the round.
“I have a killer instinct,” Garcia said. “Sometimes, when I am hurting somebody that bad, I am just cracking them. But I caught him with a perfect left hook.
“I just had to slow his momentum down. He was building momentum, momentum and I knew I had to cut this off somehow.”
The fact that Garcia outlanded Duarte by a single punch, according to CompuBox, explains how close this fight felt until it was over. Garcia praised James for his effort after the fight and called for a title shot at 140 pounds against WBA champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero.
“It’s our first fight. [James and I] worked hard,” Garcia said. “We are going to build off this and are committed to get better. I’m committing to becoming a world champion so, if Rolly wants it, let’s do this.”
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below.
R8: Duarte beats the count but the referee doesn’t like what he saw. The fight is stopped! It’s a dramatic finish for Ryan Garcia. Result: Ryan Garcia def. Oscar Duarte via eighth-round TKO
R8: Big left hand from Garcia hurts Duarte and down he goes!
R8: Duarte simply isn’t throwing enough to take advantage of Garcia lowering his output.
R8: The main issue here is that Garcia is actively avoiding any punch exchanges by moving which suggests either an injury or insecurity.
ROUND 8: Good sticking and moving from Garcia, even though the crowd isn’t wrong to boo his lack of output.
R7: Garcia takes the round despite angering the fans late. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 68-65 Garcia)
R7: Garcia spends the last minute on his bicycle actively avoiding Duarte. The only issue is he isn’t throwing while doing this. It draws boos from the crowd.
ROUND 7: Big attacks from Garcia with powerful right hands. Duarte was covering up and only absorbed partial impact but that statement was felt. Garcia catches Duarte big again with a right cross.
R6: Good counter right hand from Garcia caught Duarte coming in. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 58-56 Garcia)
R6: Good defense from Garcia as Duarte came forward with punches. Duarte continues to hammer away at the guard of Garcia, hoping one slips through.
R6: Right hand to the body from Garcia. This is almost a modified shoulder roll defense from Garcia and he doesn’t look fully comfortable with it.
ROUND 6: Big right uppercut from Garcia and Duarte looks hurt. Back comes Duarte, however, with body shots.
R5: Close round but Garcia landed the cleaner shots. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 48-47 Garcia)
R5: Left hook to the body from Garcia lands low and the crowd boos following the referee’s warning.
R5: Good head movement from Garcia to avoid Duarte’s aggressive punches. They trade body shots in the clinch. Garcia is standing up strong this round.
R5: Big uppercuts from Garcia split the guard of Duarte.
ROUND 5: Garcia opens stronger with stinging left hooks to Duarte. Big uppercut from Garcia lands.
R4: Another round for Duarte and he mostly did it with pressure and body shots. Score: 10-9 Duarte (Overall: 38-38)
R4: Duarte warned for a low blow while the two fighters were tied up. Nice left hooks to the body from Duarte.
R4: Good body work from Duarte in the corner. He’s not landing everything flush but the judges have to be taking note of this momentum movement.
R4: The rabbit punch appeared partially to come because Garcia nearly turned his back on the action in trying to avoid Duarte’s pressure.
ROUND 4: More pressure from Duarte backs Garcia up to the corner. Nice body work. Garcia is starting to react in somewhat troubling ways to this pressure. Duarte gets warned for a rabbit punch.
R3: Garcia facing much more resistance here. Good round from Duarte with solid pressure. Score: 10-9 Duarte (Overall: 29-28 Garcia)
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