Gordon Brown on the Yemen
The UK Prime Minister chimes in:
Quote:
Mr Brown also wrote about the rising importance of Yemen as "both an incubator and potential safe haven for terrorism". "Pushed out of Afghanistan and increasingly dispersed over the mountains of Pakistan, al-Qaeda's affiliates and allies - in ungoverned or under-governed areas like parts of Yemen, The Sahel and Somalia - have raised their profile," he said. He said the UK was already one of Yemen's leading donors and it was increasing support to its government through intelligence assistance, training of counter-terrorism units and development programmes.
Link that includes this passage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8436758.stm
Background and immediate options
An article by Jonathan Winer, ex-State Dept., on the immediate options in the Yemen and background. I only cite two paragraphs:
Quote:
President Saleh's strategy for the future of his country is to secure power for his son, who recently turned up as the receipient of corrupt funds from a telecomms company in a U.S. criminal bribery case. The question for the U.S. and other governments is whether it is smart to invest in Yemen's security forces through training and assistance aimed at countering terrorism at the very time that Yemen has been brought to a critical phase of instability due to President Saleh's misrule.
Before getting further into support of President Saleh's regime, conrete tests may be in order. Work with Yemen to identify the locations of Naser Abdel-Karim Wahishi and former Guantanamo detainee Saeed Ali Shehri, two leaders of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Add in the current address in Yemen of Anwar al-Awlaki, whose calls to action helped to inspire the Fort Hood terrorist murders, and who was nearly killed by a US drone December 24. Carry out raids (by drone or in person) to punish, incapacitate, arrest, and deter. Repeat as needed. Successful operations will surely result in continued international assistance, facilitating help to those who deserve something better than a failed state. If instead, critical counter-terrorist operations with Yemen experience leaks and failures, with the al-Awlaki's surviving raids to continue their threats to public safety, other strategies may be needed, including ones that are not predicated on members of the Saleh family being in charge of the country forever.
Full article: http://counterterrorismblog.org (currently lead article)
Akhbar min al-Yemen wa Khatara
Yemen - a catch all thread for 2010
Yemen’s Strategic Boxes
Entry Excerpt:
Yemen’s Strategic Boxes
by Dr. Lawrence E. Cline
Download the full article: Yemen’s Strategic Boxes
As happens episodically, Yemen is once more in the news. The December 2009 raids on al Qaida with some level of US support – together with Saudi intervention in the north of Yemen and the abortive Delta flight bombing claimed by al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen – have re-emphasized Yemen’s importance in regional and international security.
One problem with much of the analysis of Yemen is that it tends to emphasize the country’s impact on external security. Particularly within the US, the stress has been on al Qaida’s operations in and from Yemen. Although perhaps justified in terms of overall US strategy, this limited view of issues within Yemen that affect its internal security can create strategic myopia. Ultimately, these broader internal issues are crucial in how well and how willing the government of Yemen will cooperate with other countries.
From Sana’a’s perspective, there are three critical ongoing threats to internal security. Al Qaida certainly is one, but the other two – the Houthi uprising in the north and political unrest in the south around Aden – probably are viewed with considerably more concern by the Yemen government. Although each threat is significant in its own right, the possibility of overlap among them in the future is even more worrisome. These specific threats are even further exacerbated by a long list of broader social, economic, and political stressors, all of which impact on Yemen’s capability to respond adequately.
Download the full article: Yemen’s Strategic Boxes
Lawrence E. Cline, PhD, is an associate professor with American Military University, and a contract instructor with the Counterterrorism Fellowship Program, Center for Civil-Military Relations, Naval Postgraduate School. He has worked in over 25 countries with this program in national counterterrorism strategy development. He is a retired Military Intelligence officer and Middle East Foreign Area Officer, with service in Lebanon, El Salvador, Desert Storm, Somalia, and OIF.
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Are we caving to AQ threats?
Sure seems like it when we close our Embassy in Yemen and announce that it was due to fears of AQ retaliation for our support of the Yemeni government (http://tinyurl.com/y9mhuxb).
Strategic Communication is the intersection of our actions and our messages, and this action cannot send a more clear message to our adversaries -- although we, our allies, and civilized people across the world are pounding you at every turn, your threats will make us cower inside our outposts in the countries that need our support the most.
I know the counterargument -- DoS aren't Soldiers and are not sent there to be attacked -- but aren't they there to represent the US and doesn't retreating within our ramparts give AQ the psychological advantage over us? We need, among other things, to reassure our valiant allies that we will stand with them throughout the fight. Do we do that when we close our doors? Did YM close down in response to the many threats and actual attacks they have experienced?
Sometimes, the More You Protect Your Force, the Less Secure You May Be
Lady journalist blog on Yemen
Worth checking: http://www.ginnyhill.co.uk/ and the short intro says:
Quote:
Ginny Hill is a freelance journalist and filmmaker, writing and broadcasting on the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. She has worked in Djibouti, Egypt, Gaza, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Somaliland and Yemen.
Ginny is the author of Yemen: Fear of Failure, a Chatham House briefing paper (pub. 1998).
Not updated daily, but may offer a different viewpoint.
Allies in the Yemen - t'is a strange world
Just found this in The Daily Telegraph (UK): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-al-Qaeda.html
Raises some interesting points I'd not read recently in the links here.