When it comes to Yemen's Houthi rebels, many people think of their ferocious fighting power. This theocratic armed group was once a headache for the Yemeni government and the international community. Using their religious beliefs and national sentiments, they quickly rose to prominence and became a formidable force in Yemen's civil war. But, as some observers have argued, the fighting power of such theocratic armed groups is often closely related to their economic situation. So, what's going on?
First of all, we must understand a truth, that is, the economic base determines the superstructure. The level of economic development of a country has a direct impact on its military strength and war potential. In the country of Yemen, the per capita GDP is only 600 US dollars, which means that the country's economic foundation is weak, resources are scarce, and the people's living standards are low. In this context, Yemen's Houthi rebels rely mainly on external support for their economic resources, and they can use ethnic and religious sentiments to attract outside support and funding. This financial and material support has enabled Yemen's Houthis to maintain their strong combat effectiveness.
However, once the economic situation of Yemen's Houthis improves, their combat effectiveness could fall off a cliff. Because when the economic situation improves, members of Yemen's Houthis may begin to seek a higher standard of living and better benefits. In this way, their enthusiasm and motivation for war will decrease, and their combat effectiveness will naturally decline accordingly.
In fact, this situation is not unique to Yemen's Houthi rebels. Historically, some armed organizations integrating politics and religion, such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, also once possessed strong combat effectiveness, but with the improvement of the economy and the accumulation of wealth, their combat effectiveness gradually weakened.
Thus, we can draw a conclusion: the combat effectiveness of theocratic armed groups is closely related to their economic situation. In order to maintain a strong combat effectiveness, these organizations must always maintain the vulnerability of their economic situation so as not to experience a decline in combat effectiveness. Of course, this is not to say that these organizations should not pursue economic development, but rather to find a balance where both economic and military capabilities can be enhanced.