How Yemen’s Houthis evolved from a religious revival into a regional threat

In 2011, I stood in Change Square in the Yemeni capital Sanaa with thousands of young Yemenis chanting for democracy, dignity and human rights. But three years later, a different force marched into the same capital — armed, disciplined and completely uninterested in anything we were calling for. Today, they control ballistic missiles, drones and the ships passing through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. They call themselves Ansar Allah, or supporters of God, but they are more commonly