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.
No one is fully knowledgeable about the state of the Syrian economy, how exactly it has been affected by the events taking place in the country, or how to interpret the choice economic indicators issued by Syrian officials.
The U.S. pivot to the Asia-Pacific has created both tension and opportunity in its relations with China.
The best hope for reconciliation and democracy promotion in the Arab world comes from a focus on economic reform and other concrete issues.
The Islamists’ defeat in Algeria’s recent parliamentary elections is a product of the pragmatism of the ruling Algerian elite and shows that the regime is sensitive to society’s demands. The results are likely an exception to the trend of rising Islamist influence in the Arab world.
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