#(plc)

Thanks for your patience, Anon - I needed to read up more on the PLC/STC dynamic to be sure I understood the news from last week.

There are three parties:

1. The Houthis (Ansar Allah):

Who they are: A Zaydi Shia religious/militant movement from the north.

Backer: Iran

What they control: The North, the capital (Sanaa), and the vast majority of the population. They are the ones you hear about firing missiles at ships in the Red Sea.

Goal: Total religious and political dominance of Yemen.

2. The "Internationally Recognized Government" (PLC):

Who they are: The remnants of the old state machinery.

Backer: Saudi Arabia

What they control: On paper, the South and East. In reality, almost nothing. They're operating mostly out of Saudi Arabia, with very little power on the ground.

Goal: A unified Yemen (restoring the pre-2014 state).

3. The Southern Transitional Council (STC):

Who they are: Secessionists who want to bring back "South Yemen," which was an independent country until 1990.

Backer: The UAE (United Arab Emirates)

What they control: Aden (the temporary capital), the coast, and as of this week, the oil fields.

Goal: Independence. They hate the Houthis, but they also despise the Saudi-backed government.

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For years, Saudi Arabia and the UAE tried to get their proxies (The Government and the STC) to work together against the Houthis.

What just happened last week: The STC stopped pretending to be allied with the Government. They launched a massive offensive and seized the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahra.

The STC claims they are "securing stability" against terrorists and corruption, but they just ate the Saudi-backed government alive using Emirati weapons. By seizing these specific regions, they have taken the country's economic lungs.

The "Oil Angle" (Similar to the Gold in Sudan)

Just like the RSF in Sudan is fighting for gold, the STC in Yemen fought for oil. The Hadramout region contains the bulk of Yemen's oil and gas reserves.

Until now, the revenue from this oil theoretically went to the "Government," keeping it on life support.

Now, the STC controls the tap. They have effectively cut off the Government's funding. The STC is building the economic foundation for an independent state.

Saudi Arabia vs. The UAE

Just like in Sudan, the "allies" are actually rivals engaged in a proxy war.

Saudi Arabia wants a unified, stable Yemen on its southern border that doesn't pose a threat. They backed the Government to achieve this.

The UAE doesn't care about a unified Yemen. They care about ports and maritime influence. They want to control the coastline, the Bab el-Mandeb strait (where global shipping passes), and the islands (like Socotra).

The Split: The UAE realized the "Government" was incompetent and a lost cause. So, they poured money and weapons into the STC (the separatists).

The Result: The UAE has effectively "won" the south. Saudi Arabia has been humiliated; their proxy (the Government) has lost its territory, while the UAE's proxy (the STC) now controls the strategic coast and the oil.

The Damage

While these factions fight over oil fields and ports, the people of Yemen are living in hell.

Starvation: Yemen imports almost all its food. When these factions fight over ports and currency, food prices skyrocket. UN estimates suggest over 19 million people need aid to survive.

Water: Yemen is running out of water. The groundwater is depleting, and the diesel needed to pump water is often seized by militias for war efforts.

The Blockade: For years, the Saudi-led coalition blockaded the Houthi-controlled north to starve them of weapons. It mostly just starved civilians of food and medicine.

Summary

The "Yemen Civil War" is effectively over in its old form. The country has trisected:

The Houthis own the North (Iran's win).

The STC owns the South and the Oil (The UAE's win).

The Government is a fiction that exists mostly in hotels in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia's loss).

Today I found myself wondering how it's only Tuesday because I've done so many things this week that it should surely be at least Wednesday, if not Thursday, you know? But, like I said yesterday, I'm managing. I don't feel overwhelmed or super tired, just busy. I suppose I've grown into these department head responsibilities of mine, and that helps, as do my colleagues, who really are a fantastic support system.

I spent my morning grading a lot of make-up work (because so many kids have been home sick lately), planning my next few Global Studies lessons, and getting stuff together in case the teacher who's on leave doesn't come back and we end up having to hire a long-term substitute.

Then, in Global Studies, I showed a short clip about the writing of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then we discussed the document itself. I took questions first, and I was pleasantly surprised how many students had; sometimes, they're hesitant about asking for clarification because they think it makes them seem dumb (I've been working all year to change that perception), or they're tired, or they're not engaged, or whatever. But today they were on fire. Where they did hesitate was when I asked them to tell me which articles they thought were the most important and why- expressing opinions can be intimidating, too (another thing I'm working to change)- so I just called on all of them. Everyone had to throw something out there, which ended up leading to some brilliant discussions. I was so happy about how that went.

Another brilliant discussion? The one my APGOV students had with today's guest speaker. There's an open congressional seat in NH, and all the candidates running for it have been invited to come to class. One of the Democrats came today, and fielded questions from my students about her personal background, why she's running, why she should get their votes, and what her views are on a variety of things: healthcare, education, ICE, the shooting of Renee Good, our involvement in Venezuela, the threats the administration's been making about Greenland, our foreign policy in general, tax policy, abortion, rural access to technology. I was impressed with the research they'd done, the thoughtfulness of their discussion, how open the exchange was between them and the candidate (who asked for their views or feelings multiple times). It was super cool, and a lot of students hung around after the bell to say so.

Can't wait to talk to them more tomorrow!

the first three chapters of poison, like creosote have been published! she's a long-fic (sitting at 8.5k as of right now), apocalyptic western, definitely rated E, and the first chapter (short)(they get longer) is under the cut as a teaser:

Iran-affiliated threat actors infiltrated internet-facing PLCs across U.S. critical infrastructure, manipulating SCADA displays and project files to trigger outages and financial losses in government, energy, and water systems. Suspicious activity spiked on OT ports 44818, 2222, 102, and 502, signalling a sophisticated campaign targeting operational technology at scale.

Source: Internet Crime Complaint Center

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PLC :- programmable logic controller