Modern Yemeni society is a complex web of local and foreign institutions, hybrid traditions, and modern and ancient cultures and competing values. All of these coexist and interact in an environment that is increasingly uncertain owing to the threat of terrorism, rebel movements, crippling poverty, growing population, and dwindling natural resources. Manifest in different ways, these problems strain daily dealings and create anxiety among Yemenis and foreigners alike, largely because there is not one discernible path forward. The absence of a system for resolving many of the problems encourages disputes which frequently escalate, leading to violent disagreements and, on a broader scale, occasional armed conflict. Legal mechanisms for arriving at reasonable, respected, and enforceable resolutions are either too unclear to be useful or entirely non-existent. In this vacuum, natural and traditional authority figures are marginalized and, therefore, ineffectual. Tribal values, the stalwart backbone of northern Yemeni society, are no longer effective enough to govern most relationships in that part of the country as people migrate to developing cities. Southerners still struggle to adapt to the unique ways that Sana’a conducts its governmental and business affairs, including resolving disputes. Democratic practices and principles, often a guide to judicious solutions, are evident rhetorically, but in many ways have yet to take root among average citizens. These conditions muddle channels of authority and generate confusion about the sources and extent of power, influence, and control in the country, generally creating inefficient ways of handling conflicts. The country’s ability to evolve into a stronger, more unified, and more stable multicultural state is thus restricted. This paper seeks to answer a fundamental question: what are current effective mechanisms for dispute resolution in Yemen? Drawing on practical approaches to resolving specific types of conflicts involving official, non-official, and quasi-official entities, both interpersonal and institutional, it will examine the nexus of relationships, the level of cultural import, and the intersection of individual expectations required for effectively resolving disputes. The majority of Yemeni opinions about dispute resolution usually advocate violent solutions, an unsustainable approach that only increases disorder and anxiety. While the expectations, systems, and actual mechanisms necessary for attaining reasonable and peaceful solutions to disputes in Yemen are rarely evident, those results are achievable given a proper understanding of how to marshal authority, manipulate influence, and maintain control.