Yemen in Crisis

Christopher BoucekNATIONAL INTEREST, JULY 6, 2011
The ultimate fate of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains unclear. More than a month after he rushed to Saudi Arabia to seek medical treatment for injuries he sustained in an attack on the presidential mosque, there are still questions about his health. Rumors continue to swirl about whether or not Saleh will be able to return to Yemen. Without credible information and with little progress in resolving the country’s political crisis after months of protests, tensions are still high and the threat of further violence—and potentially broader, more widespread fighting—is very real.

The truth is that it is increasingly unlikely that Saleh will be able to get back to Yemen and actually govern again anytime soon. That is not a bad thing. Unfortunately, the alternative may be that Saleh’s family attempts to take on the opposition and wrest control of the government. Violence would likely erupt, and a country with huge numbers of weapons would inch closer to a complete meltdown.

Yemen needs to begin the transition to a new government—and the sooner the better. The faster the country is able to move past this political crisis, the faster the government can tackle the problems that underlie the country’s insecurity.

Yemen is facing a multitude of major challenges, all at the same time. The long list includes poor governance, rampant corruption, major security concerns, unemployment and a lack of desperately needed resources—notably water.  Read more