Weekly News Update 21 February 2013

Samuel Aranda/New York Times/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/world/middleeast/yemen-hailed-as-a-model-struggles-for-stability.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Highlights:
Yemen, Hailed as Model, Struggles for Stability
New York Times — 18 February 2013
“I have never felt the anxiety I feel now,” said Sami Ghalib, a political analyst and former newspaper editor. “There was always geographical conflict, but now it is turning ideological. There are assassinations taking place everywhere. And at the helm, we have a leader who behaves like Saleh but doesn’t even have his political skills.” Unlike his predecessor, Mr. Hadi is a virtual recluse who rarely speaks in public and has failed to offer a clear vision for addressing any of the crises afflicting the country. His fierce praise for the American drone-strike program, which is unpopular here, has further eroded his small base of public support. He is widely said to fear for his life and has appointed many family members and old allies to security positions. In a paradox, Mr. Hadi is a southerner and was chosen in part on the premise that this would help him to placate the secessionists. Instead, he is widely hated in the south, in part because he is seen as a pillar of the northern political system after serving for 18 years as Mr. Saleh’s deputy.

Saleh ‘albatross’ hangs over Yemen dialogue
Democracy Digest — 14 February 2013
The fly in the ointment is former President Saleh who continues to hold court with supporters and issue pronouncements through the media outlets controlled by his son, Ali Ahmed.  While not overtly disruptive, his presence is a provocation that, over time, could threaten to derail the fragile political truce currently holding sway.

Youths are changing Yemen’s political landscape
Daily Star — 13 February 2013
Murad, an artist, joined with other young artists to raise awareness around the issue of forced disappearances, which have been occurring in Yemen since the 1970s. Over a 20-week period, they drew the faces of almost 70 missing persons on the walls of Sanaa, Ibb and Taiz as part of a voluntary initiative using art as a peaceful tool in order to send a strong message regarding a topic that has remained hidden in Yemen for decades. In this way, Murad and his friends were able to help the families of the disappeared raise their voices, grieve openly and present their cases to the public. These youths are forward thinking, creative, passionate, self-motivated, result-oriented, fast learners and have the energy and time to participate in new ventures. Youth are the real asset of Yemen today, and the real builders of Yemen’s tomorrow.

Weekly News Update 10 January 2013

Khaled Abdullah/Reuters/http://news.yahoo.com/photos/view-village-haraz-mountains-west-yemeni-capital-sanaa-photo-193600423.html

Highlights:
Finding Room for Positive Change and Growth in Yemen
Knowledge@Wharton — 8 January 2013
So, what does the business community have to do? We have organizations like the chamber of commerce and all this, but we need to get ourselves organized and get our act organized. It’s one thing to have a chamber of commerce that does what chambers of commerce are supposed to be doing, but we need to have a business community that can influence how the government is operated, how the government is run. And I’m not saying in a corrupted way, but actually making the government realize that this country cannot move forward unless the engine of the economy works. And the engine of the economy cannot work unless the private sector is strong. And again, you can’t have a private sector [that is] strong if it is in disarray, if it is working in different directions. So we need to bring together the different business leaders. Take a look at some of the laws that have been passed in the past — the VAT law, the investment law — these are laws that are in the heart of the private sector, yet the private sector hasn’t really been involved in discussing these laws with the government. The government will tell you, “Well, you have some members of parliament who are businessmen,” when that’s not enough; we need a broader discussion.

Saudi says its air force has not struck al Qaeda in Yemen
Reuters — 5 January 2013
Saudi Arabian fighter jets have not attacked al Qaeda targets in Yemen, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Saturday, denying a newspaper report that some strikes attributed to U.S. drones were made instead by the kingdom’s air force. Britain’s Times newspaper on Friday cited an unnamed U.S. intelligence source as saying “some of the so-called drone missions are actually Saudi Air Force missions”. Any evidence of Saudi involvement in air strikes in Yemen risks damaging Riyadh’s efforts to target militants there by complicating its relationship with the government in Sanaa and with Yemeni tribal leaders, who control large parts of the country, including areas where al Qaeda members are present.

In Yemen, chewing khat offers ritual and repose
Los Angeles Times — 5 January 2013
This nation has long been defined by a flash of green at the tip of a stem. For many, chewing khat makes Yemen’s heat, poverty, rebellions, terrorist attacks, power outages, Islamic fatwas and political turmoil bearable. It calms at first. But its stimulant qualities kick in and suddenly men with leaves bulging in their cheeks, giving them the air of agitated blowfish, launch into talking jags, full of opinions and viewing the world with a restless clarity that eludes them in the non-khat hours. “It is our beer, our drug,” said one man, spitting out a sprig. Khat is the nation’s most lucrative crop, but it could also be its demise, sapping resources and resulting in countless hours of lost productivity.

Weekly News Update 3 January 2013

Reuters/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/28/us-yemen-drone-idUSBRE8BR0CN20121228

Highlights:
Yemen Economy Limps Into the New Year
Al-Hayat via Al-Monitor — 31 December 2012
At a conference organized by the Studies and Economic Media Center in Sanaa and a team focusing on economic reforms in conjunction with the Center for International Private Enterprise, a number of suggestions were unveiled for reducing the unemployment rate in Yemen, which now exceeds 60% among youth. One such plan entailed a focus on manual-labor job projects, accelerated job training and qualification programs tailored to the needs of the market and the reorganization and restructuring of the Yemen Skills Development Fund.

South not convinced military restructure will create balance
Yemen Times — 31 December 2012
President Hadi’s military restructure, which included a purging of the Republican Guard and the First Armored Division, has been met largely with lukewarm and uncertain feelings in the South, a region that has threatened secession on numerous occasions. Some southerners like Dr. Abdo Al-Ma’tari, a spokesman for the Southern Movement, have even called the decrees a “farce.” “These decrees are meant to tempt people to join the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) even though nothing has been changed in the military,” he said.

‘Abd al-Rauf al-Dhahab and Bad Intel
Waq al-Waq — 31 December 2012
On Saturday December 29 the US tried a third time (that we know of) to kill al-Dhahab.  And for a third time it missed.  This time killing three members of a local tribes who, again, may or may not be members of al-Qaeda.  At least one local report has identified one of the dead as an 11-year-old boy, although as is often the case there are other reports that give different names and ages for the victims. Even with all the sketchy details from the ground, this case raises several questions. First, how did ‘Abd al-Rauf al-Dhahab make it onto the US kill list? His family, as many readers of Waq al-waq will remember, was heavily involved in the Ansar al-Shariah takeover of Rada’a in early 2012 – on both sides actually, as one pro-government brother killed another pro-al-Qaeda brother before the pro-government brother was killed by yet another pro-al-Qaeda brother.