Volume 3 - Issue 7 (2025-10-20)

Strategic Shifts In The Speeches of Mr. Abdulmalik Badruddin Al-Houthi (2014–2025): An Analytical Study

Dr: Abdulmalik Muhammad Eissa

This research explores the strategic shifts in the speeches of Mr. Abdulmalik Badruddin Al-Houthi between 2014 and 2025, framing his speeches as an unconventional form of political discourse that played a central role in reshaping the Yemeni public sphere and mobilizing socio-political action. Set within a context defined by religious-tribal dynamics and lacking stable institutional structures, the study is guided by a core hypothesis: Al-Houthi’s discourse is not merely expressive but functions as a social practice that generates collective consciousness, reconstructs identity, and formulates symbolic legitimacy especially during moments of profound political transformation.

Employing a sociological-analytical methodology, the research conducts a qualitative textual content analysis of selected speeches delivered across three pivotal stages: the Revolution phase (2014), the Regional Aggression phase (2015), and the Gaza Battle phase (2023–2025). The findings indicate that Al-Houthi’s speech evolved from an internal reformist appeal into a transnational resistance narrative, with its target audience expanding from the Yemeni domestic sphere to the broader Islamic Ummah. This transformation was marked by structural changes in symbolism, rhetorical substance, and performative style.

The study concludes that Mr. Al-Houthi’s speech succeeded in re-engineering the Yemeni public space by constructing an imagined resistant community that transcends national borders. It facilitated the emergence of an alternative legitimacy beyond formal state institutions and seamlessly integrated religion, identity, and grievance into a highly effective mass mobilization project. The study recommends continued discourse analysis as a strategic tool for examining political action and understanding the role of rhetoric in shaping public awareness in non-institutionalized settings.