Policy makers are scrambling to respond decisively to Yemen's instability after the failed Christmas Day attack on a U.S. passenger jet was tied to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In the first of a new Carnegie series, Yemen: On the Brink, Sarah Phillips explains that there are limits to how much foreign intervention can accomplish. Yemen's political system needs to become less centralized and more inclusive.
Yemen's secessionist Southern Movement threatens the country's stability, but a military campaign against it would only further inflame its supporters and increase support for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, explains Stephen Day. A political solution is required.
The Yemeni government has been mired in an unwinnable and sporadic civil conflict in the northern governorate of Saada since 2004. Christopher Boucek explains that this war has weakened the central government, accelerated the economic crisis, and threatens global stability by emboldening al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has successfully adapted its message in Yemen to exploit local grievances. Alistair Harris contends that an effective strategy to combat Al-Qaeda must identify how the group’s message resonates with Yemenis and develop ways for state institutions to address the underlying complaints exploited by al-Qaeda.
If the Yemeni central government cannot fully control its territory, violent extremists will have a space to regroup and launch new attacks. Yemen's problems potentially threaten the region and the international community.
Absent a good education environment, there is little room for the Arab world’s youth to turn into responsible citizens who can consolidate and stimulate social transformation to bring about more prosperous and free societies.
China’s traditional diplomacy is at a crossroads as it adjusts to the new global order. The financial crises, climate change, and regional instability have propelled China into a new global role and in turn, a new era of diplomacy.
The obvious and often painful mismatch between aspiration and reality in European foreign policy has plagued discourse on European integration during the last decade.
While the project of “grand Eurasian alliance” between Russia and China currently appears unworkable, the Sino-Russian strategic partnership is a major boon for both countries and acts as one of the pillars of peace and stability in Asia.
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