Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Category: Yemen

Yemen’s Fate Will Not Be Decided In The Streets

February 4th, 2011 by Alec

Writing at The Guardian’s Comment is free, Jeb Boone argues that talk of revolution in Yemen is exaggerated and unrealistic. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in order to counter revolutionary sentiments, has already announced this will be his last term (to end in 2013) and that his son will not assume power, the two main demands of the opposition. Boone also notes that the protests in Yemen are being led by the political opposition bloc JMP (Joint Meeting Parties) and that the ordinary citizens of Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest, are aware of the political games “being played by both sides.” Pro-government protesters equaled the number of anti-government protesters (only 10,000 attending) on Thursday which fizzled by noon: “In Yemen, regime change takes a break for the weekend.”  Boone argues that Saleh will probably look to solidify his legacy by placating the opposition further, as well as take less harsh measures on Houthi rebels in the north and secessionists in the south.  Such actions may incidentally buttress the ruling GPC party’s claim to the Presidency.  He ends by stating that both the JMP and the Islamist Islah Party may try to contest elections in 2013, with Islamist chances of defeating the ruling GPC party high as long as the GPC does not stuff the ballot box as it has been apt to do in the past.


Posted in Islamist movements, Political Parties, Protests, Reform, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Tens of Thousands Turn Out for Rival Demonstrations

February 3rd, 2011 by Naureen

On Thursday, major demonstrations took place in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a both against and in support of of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime. The opposition coalition held nationwide demonstrations despite a plea issued by Saleh on Wednesday asking for a freeze of all planned protests, rallies and sit ins. Around 20,000 protesters gathered in the three major roads surrounding Sana’a University. Protests also occurred in other Yemeni cities including Ibb and Taiz. Protesters seem to have differing demands with some calling for Saleh to step down while others call on him to form a new government to address issues of poverty, corruption, and injustice. While anti-regime protesters initially hoped to demonstrate in Liberation Square in Sana’a, echoing protests in Egypt, government authorities beat them to it by filling the square with pro-regime demonstrators. Unlike protests in Egypt and Tunisia, the protests in Yemen have unfolded largely peacefully with no major arrests or clashes between pro and anti-regime groups.


Posted in Egypt, Protests, Reform, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »

How Protests in Yemen Differ From Those in Tunisia and Egypt

February 3rd, 2011 by Naureen

In a  Policy Watch piece for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Daniel Green discusses the Yemeni protests and how they differ from those in Tunisia and Egypt. Unlike Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and former Tunisian President Zine Ben Ali, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh uses “government patronage to co-opt potential opposition elements and incorporate them into the state’s system of largesse, diluting their ablity to confront the regime.” Opposition figures are rarely arrested, and those who are tend to be released quickly. Additionally, Saleh uses concessions to deflate opposition, which participates in parliamentary elections and is generally permitted freedom of speech and assembly. Their participation serves “as a safety valve for discontent.” Moreover, opposition protesters are not unified in their demands and goals, which Saleh has exploited.  The fact that Yemen lacks a middle class and the population is heavily reliant on the state for jobs, makes people less likely to protest. Lastly, Green states the United States believes that it is in its security interest to maintain Saleh in power. He calls on the administration to use the protests to encourage the Saleh government to implement political and economic reforms to bolster his legitimacy, capacity and efficacy.


Posted in Protests, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »

Yemeni President Announces He Will Not Run Again

February 2nd, 2011 by Kyle

On Wednesday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that he will not seek a new term and that he will end his attempts to ammend the constitution which would have allowed him to rule indefinetly. Saleh also vowed that he will not pass on the presidency to his son stating: “No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock.” These statements came in an emergency session of parliament scheduled prior to a major “day of rage” scheduled for Thursday. Thursday’s scheduled day of rage is the latest attempt to extend protests that have occurred in recent weeks calling for Saleh to step down.


Posted in Protests, Reform, Yemen | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Tunisia and the Arab Malaise”

January 31st, 2011 by Naureen

On Tuesday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on the uprising in Tunisia and the prospects for the Tunisian example spreading across the Arab World. Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center moderated the event and introduced the speakers: Alan Goulty, former British Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia and current Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and David Ottaway, Senior Scholar at the Wilson Center and former Cairo Bureau Chief of the Washington Post.

To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Jordan, Protests, Reform, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Amid Large Protests, Will Saleh Go The Way of Ben Ali?

January 27th, 2011 by Alec

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Thursday to call for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.  The protests continue the trend inspired by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia and recent protests in Egypt.  Laura Kasinof, writing for The Christian Science Monitor, argues that regime change in Yemen is unlikely.  The protests have been peaceful and there has been much less of a heavy police presence, as seen in Tunisia and Egypt.  She also noted that neither the ruling party nor the opposition wants a popular uprising Tunisia-style.  Brian O’Neill, former editor of the Yemen Observer, also cautions against drawing links between what is going on in Tunisia and Egypt and the protests in Yemen.  He states that the protests in the capital, largely by university students, and protests in the south are fundamentally different protests.  The Southern Movement has been calling for secession not for democratic reforms from the Saleh regime.


Posted in Protests, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Protests Continue, Saleh Denies Plans for Succession

January 24th, 2011 by Naureen

Protests continued in Yemen this weekend after activist Tawakul Karman, a student protest leader, was arrested over the weekend for organizing unlicensed anti-government protests. Following her release on Monday, she vowed to continue her struggle against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who many believe will hand over power to his son, Ahmed Saleh. On Sunday, President Saleh denied those claims: “We are against succession. We are in favor of change.” He accused the opposition of trying to take over power by rallying people to the streets. He also announced plans to raise the salaries of government employees and military personnel by nearly $50. Despite continued calls for Saleh’s resignation, Ali Seif Hassan, a Yemeni political analyst, said Saleh’s speech indicates he is not likely to step down: “Saleh will run again in 2013 and will run after the next time.”


Posted in Protests, Yemen | Comment »

Islamist Parties Choose Preservation Over Political Contestation

January 24th, 2011 by Kyle

In the new issue of the Journal of Democracy, Shadi Hamid argues that Islamist parties across the Arab world have a tendency to “lose elections on purpose.”  He examines the behavior of Islamist opposition parties in six Arab countries and concludes that the roots of Islamist parties in broader social movements compel them to prioritize self-preservation over political contestation.  However, “as Islamists have grown comfortable losing elections—and with much of the world comfortable watching them lose—Arab democracy has drifted further out of reach.”


Posted in Bahrain, Egypt, Elections, Islamist movements, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Reform, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Protesters Call for Reform and Ouster of President Saleh

January 21st, 2011 by Naureen

Protests began on Sunday as hundreds of students marched from Sana’a University to the Tunisian Embassy in solidarity with Tunisian protesters. The protests have since shifted focus to internal issues: ”The country is a failing state. We protesters are trying to rescue it. The current situation is so bleak, but Tunisia reassures people of their own power.” On Thursday, amid protests, the government announced amendments limiting presidential terms, an issue which the country has long been debating. Mohammed al-Sabry, head of the opposition coalition and the Islamist party Islah, has said that the proposal doesn’t go far enough and vowed to liberate the country “from the hands of the corrupt.” Protests in the south, where people are calling for secession due to discrimination by the Sana’a government in the distribution of resources,  have been larger,  more widespread and have led to dozens of arrests. Nikolas Gvosdev, writing in World Politics Review, argues that the United States can help Yemen move towards political liberalization by helping maintain stability during the transition period or organizing a gradual transition based on the “Chilean model,” where Pinochet was offered concrete incentives to move the process forward.


Posted in Protests, Reform, Yemen | Comment »

Clinton Makes Surprise Visit to Yemen

January 11th, 2011 by Naureen

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, made a surprise visit to Yemen to meet with President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In addition to the US-Yemen security relationship, Clinton affirmed support for a number of reforms, including “an inclusive political process that will, in turn, support a unified, prosperous, stable, democratic Yemen.” The US has rebalanced Yemen’s aid package accordingly so “it is not so disproportionately consisting of funding necessary for the counter-terrorism agenda but also includes the other priorities.” Clinton also met with opposition leaders, nongovernmental organizations and students in Yemen to draw focus to women’s and children’s rights. She is the first US secretary of state to visit Yemen in 20 years.


Posted in Foreign Aid, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Parliament Proceeds with Term Limit Suspension

January 3rd, 2011 by Evan

The Yemeni parliament moved forward with a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate presidential term limits on Saturday. In doing so, the parliamentarians ignored a call from the U.S. State Department to delay the vote so negotiations between the ruling party and opposition groups could continue.  The amendment will now be submitted to a popular referendum to be held simultaneously with Yemen’s April 27 parliamentary vote.  


Posted in Legislation, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: GPC Backs Proposal to Suspend Term Limits

December 30th, 2010 by Evan

Yemen’s ruling party, the General People’s Congress (GPC), announced yesterday that it will seek to eliminate constitutional term limits allowing President Ali Abdullah Saleh to run for a third seven-year term in 2013. The proposal will be brought up for a vote in the GPC-dominated parliament on Saturday and following likely approval will be subject to a national referendum in April. Opposition party members protested the decision, which they said would effectively install Saleh as president for life.


Posted in Elections, Legislation, Yemen | Comment »

“Party Building in the Middle East”

December 22nd, 2010 by Jason

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has released a new article titled “Party Building in the Middle East.” Written by Les Campbell, NDI’s senior associate and regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, the article seeks to “enumerate some of the key achievements of democracy assistance in the Arab world over the past decade; describe the strategies democracy assistance practitioners employ in their work; and explain, through four case studies and the voices of recipients, how specific interventions have contributed to the advancement of democracy in the Middle East and north Africa.” The case studies include Yemen, Morocco, the West Bank and Gaza, and Egypt.


Posted in Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Morocco, NGOs, Palestine, US foreign policy, Women, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Change in Elections Law Provokes Sit-In

December 13th, 2010 by Jason

The Agence France Presse (AFP) is reporting that Yemen’s Parliament has passed an amendment to the elections law that would change the composition of the high electoral commission by “stipulat[ing] the high electoral commission be composed of judges rather than delegates from parties represented in Parliament as has been the case until now.” The opposition complained that the amendment was passed “unilaterally” by the General People’s Congress (GPC), President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s party. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in April 2011. AFP also reported on Saturday that a leader of the supreme council of the Southern Movement was released after being arrested for “‘planning to hold unauthorized protests in a number of southern provinces.’” His arrest sparked several days of protests in which five people were injured. 


Posted in Judiciary, Legislation, Political Parties, Yemen | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Corruption Challenges in Yemen”

December 10th, 2010 by Jason

On Friday the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) joined with the Embassy of Yemen to present “Corruption Challenges in Yemen,” a presentation by Dr. Bilkis Abouosbaa, Vice-Chairperson of the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC). A portion of the documentary film “Destructive Beast: Corruption in Yemen” was also shown.

(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.)

 

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Foreign Aid, NGOs, Reform, Women, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: The “Closing Window of Opportunity”

November 16th, 2010 by Jason

Marisa L. Porges writes that there “remains a small but rapidly closing window of opportunity to rescue Yemen and, in the process, address pressing security concerns.” Noting the various economic and environmental challenges the country faces, including running out of water and oil, Porges says “[w]hat makes this dire situation all the more tragic is that Yemen was lauded as a model emerging democracy only a few years ago.” Pointing to a National Democratic Institute (NDI) report that called Yemen’s elections in 2006 “not a typical Middle Eastern ’showpiece,’” she argues that Yemen has a diverse political culture that has been “stalled” since 2007 with the renewal of hostilities between the government and rebels in the north, along with a growing al-Qaeda presence. “With threats on all sides, the regime moved to curtail political freedoms and civil liberties and began relying more heavily on tribes and patronage to hold the country together,” Porges writes. She contends that “Washington must balance near-term counterterrorism efforts with political reform and development initiatives,” including “plac[ing] consistent, coordinated pressure on (President) Saleh to advance the reform agenda.”

Update: Brian O’Neill responds: “I am not sold on political reconciliation.  I think it is important, and would be ideal, but I don’t know if you can fully reconcile the country to a central government, at least not in the short term […]  I think that trying to mold San’a into Washington ignores a lot of Yemeni history and culture […] We need to work within that system, which is in its own way considerably more democratic and egalitarian than Salih’s rule.”


Posted in Foreign Aid, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Central Problems are Ineffective Government, Mismanaged Economy

November 3rd, 2010 by Anna

Oliver Holmes writes at Al Jazeera that counterterrorism dollars for Yemen are missing “the crux of the problem – Yemen’s struggling economy.” By focusing their efforts on terrorism, rather than development, leaders in Washington risk ignoring the country’s worsening economic situation. The troubled economy arguably poses a bigger threat and risks “drawing [Yemenis] towards radicalization and militancy,” according to a recent Chatham House report. As Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Middle East Program points out, “unemployment, subsidies, the failure to plan for a post-oil economy and corruption…are the biggest challenges.” As such, interventions to improve security must be balanced with efforts to improve Yemen’s political and economic development. According to one official: “The economy is highly mismanaged due to the ineffectiveness of the government,” which exacerbates frustration among the population and worsens security problems. U.S. air strikes “won’t solve anything,” notes Princeton University Yemen expert Gregory Johnsen – rather, firm commitments in development aid are needed.


Posted in Foreign Aid, Military, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Governance Improvement Projects are Key to Security

November 1st, 2010 by Anna

The Carnegie Endowment’s Christopher Boucek writes in the Financial Times that the recent discovery of a bomb plot originating in Yemen has generated considerable debate over how the U.S. and others should respond. While many have called for increased counterterrorism and military efforts in the country, Boucek argues that “a new, expensive and singular focus on hard security will make matters worse.” Since Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and other terrorist groups “thrive…on Yemen’s internal disarray,” he suggests that it would be more productive to focus attention on its economic situation, governance problems, and resource (mainly water) scarcities. Rather than military assistance, Boucek calls for additional humanitarian aid and capacity building projects to improve Yemen’s legal infrastructure, police forces, land reform, and education, as well as to fight corruption.


Posted in Foreign Aid, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Transparency International Releases Corruption Rankings

October 26th, 2010 by Evan

Transparency International (TI) released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index today. In the Middle East, little changed over the past year. Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Iran and Libya continued to experience dangerous levels of corruption all scoring 2.2 or under on TI’s 10 point scale (10 being “very clean” and 3, “very corrupt”). Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Israel once again led the region in transparency, all scoring above 6.

Posted in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Qatar, Reform, Sudan, UAE, Yemen | Comment »

Yemen: Corruption Threatens Future

October 14th, 2010 by Jason

Abdulwahab Alkebsi, the Center for International Private Enterprise’s Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa, and the Carnegie Endowment’s Christopher Boucek have a new article at Real Clear World discussing the troubles facing Yemen. The authors identify numerous areas of concern: “The country faces an astonishing confluence of unprecedented challenges: violent extremism, economic collapse, a looming water shortage and a growing secessionist movement. Any one of these challenges, if left unaddressed, could overwhelm any government.” And the situation will only deteriorate when Yemen’s oil and water resources begin to fail. The root issue is systemic corruption, the authors argue, adding that ”30 percent of government revenue” fails to reach government coffersAlkebsi and Boucek conclude that any true reform initiative in Yemen must include ”simplifying economic regulations and eliminating contradictions between laws, reforming and simplifying the tax system, clearly defining the authorities of civil servants by specifying their duties by law, ensuring enforcement of contracts and property rights, and enhancing the rule of law to protect individual rights and rights of the business community.”



Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Reform, Yemen | Comment »