انضمام جمهورية اليمن الديمقراطية الشعبية (١٩٦٧-١٩٩٠) إلى اتفاقيات جنيف لعام ١٩٤٩: دراسة تاريخية تحليلية

Abstract

This study examines the accession of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY, 1967-1990) to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 through a historical, legal, and comparative analysis based on available primary sources. The research aims to understand the contexts, legal process, and political and ideological motives behind this accession, formally completed in 1977 with a political reservation regarding non-recognition of Israel, and to place this experience in a comparative context with other socialist and Arab states during the Cold War. The study employs a critical analytical methodology of primary sources, including UN documents, treaty texts, British archives, South Yemeni laws, and ICRC statements, supplemented by reliable secondary academic studies. The research concludes that the PDRY's accession resulted from multiple converging factors: the desire to affirm sovereignty and international recognition, alignment with declared humanitarian principles and alliances with the socialist bloc, response to tense regional contexts, while maintaining a consistent political position on the Arab-Israeli conflict via the reservation. The comparison revealed similarities in general motives with other socialist states and in the political reservation with Arab states, but also specificity in the relatively late timing of accession and the absence of procedural reservations seen in other socialist states. The study also highlights the difficulty of assessing the direct practical impact of accession on state practices due to limited available sources.