When Civil War Morphs into Transnational Crime

The ongoing war in Yemen, which has already displaced millions of people, possesses some typical traits that suggest its inclusion among the deadly conflicts known as ‘civil wars’. This chapter will review briefly the components that characterize these types of conflicts and, after providing a summary of recent events, will attempt to identify the aspects that render the conflict in Yemen an anomalous civil war. It will be contended that, given the anomalies observed, the war in Yemen can also be described as a form of transnational crime.