Yemeni Government Regains Control On al-Qaeda Expansion
Today, Yemeni military officials reported that 43 suspected members of al-Qaeda were killed after two days of air strikes in the southern province of Lahij. The Yemeni forces are trying to recapture cities that have been overrun by al-Qaeda in Aden and Abyan ...
Security Concerns Hampering Yemen’s Transition
Ongoing security concerns linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Yemen's branch of al-Qaeda, and other militant groups are hampering Yemen's transitional government. Just today, reports surfaced that Saudi Arabia's deputy consul, Abdullah al-Khalidi was kidnapped in south Yemen. Michael ...
Saleh Still Holding on to Power in Yemen
Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of Yemen demanding that former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's immunity be stripped and that he be brought to trial for the 2,000 plus deaths that occurred during last year's uprisings. ...
March 24, 2012
Category: Featured, Foreign Aid, Government, Multilateralism, Political transition, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen
POMED Notes: “Yemen, Syria, and the Gulf States”
On Friday, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University hosted the second day of its annual symposium, “The People want the fall of the Regime: The Arab Uprisings and the future of Arab Politics.” The second panel discussed “Yemen, Syria, and the Gulf States,” featuring presentations from Stacey Philbrick Yadav, director of the Middle Eastern Studies program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Bassam Haddad, Director of the ...
March 23, 2012
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Category: Countries, Event Notes, Gulf, Human Rights, Monarchy, Political transition, POMED, Reform, Rule of Law, Syria, US foreign policy, Yemen
Yemeni President Considers Dismantling Unity Government
According to the Associated Press, Yemen’s newly elected president is considering dismantling the country’s recently formed national unity government because of the meddling of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A Yemeni official has reported told the Associated Press that press that President Abed Rabbo Manosour Hadi was frustrated with “the constant interference” by former President Saleh. The official reported that Saleh was holding “almost daily” meetings with security and military ...
Al Qaeda’s Increased Attacks in Yemen Cause Concern
A Yemeni militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) says it shot and killed an American teacher in southern Yemen for preaching Christianity. The U.S. State Department, confirming the death, called it a 'heinous ...
Yemen: Saleh Delaying Departure; Al Qaeda Causes Instability
Ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that ten of his rivals among the country’s top military commanders, politicians and tribal leaders must leave the country with him for the sake of stability. However, as al-Qaeda attacked an ...
Yemen: Salafists Form Political Party; Saleh Still Meddling
After decades of refusingto participate in political work, "The conference has decided to form a political entity - yemen's Al Rashad (righteousness) Union," read a statement from representatives from Yemen's Salafist community. They said they would take part ...
U.S. Drones Reconvene Attacks in South Yemen
In the biggest U.S. drone attack since newly elected Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ascended to presidency, at least 25 al Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in Southern Yemen. Residents reported planes bombarding the Jebel Khanafar mountain regions which al Qaeda –linked militant captured and has controlled for over a year. The Islamist movement Ansar Al Shariah, an al-Qaeda afiilliate, has turned the police station in Azzan into its regional headquarters and claimed that the region would join ...
March 12, 2012
Category: al-Qaeda, Gulf Cooperation Council, Rule of Law, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen
POMED Notes: Elections in Yemen: The Road to Democracy?
On Tuesday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a panel addressing the challenges and issues that Yemen must address in order to successfully move forward into a democracy. The speakers were Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, director of the U.N. Human Rights Training and Documentation Center for South West Asia and the Arab Region, Grant Kippen, the IFES chief of party for Yemen, and Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the ...
March 6, 2012
Category: DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Featured, Government, Reform, Rule of Law, Yemen, Youth
Saleh Cedes Power to Hadi
Over the weekend former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh officially handed power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The power transfer is part of a deal sponsored by Gulf states, and in which Saleh is granted immunity from prosecution. Speaking at the ceremony, Saleh said, "I hand over the banner of the revolution, of the republic, of freedom, of security and of stability... to safe hands." Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting for Al Jazeera, described the atmosphere of ...
“The Role of Religion Will Be Determined by The People” – FRIDE
FRIDE released a report this month discussing the role religion will play in the ongoing transitions to democracy across the MENA region. The report discussed the emergence of Islamist parties into the political sphere, some new and some established, and the implications of the ideologies on their political decisions. Religion has always been " a major force of Arab Politics." According to the report, the success of Islamist parties can be attributed to their ...
February 24, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Countries, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Secularism, Tunisia, Yemen
Clinton Applauds Yemen’s Presidential Election
On Tuesday, Yemenis participated in a national vote ending President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule. In a written statement Saleh bid a "farewell to the authority,” and "I remain with you a citizen loyal to his homeland, his ...
February 23, 2012
Category: Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Political transition, Reform, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen
Yemen Holds Elections Amid Protests and Violence
Although he only needed one vote to win, sole presidential candidate Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (pictured above casting his own vote) was one of hundreds who poured into Sanaa to participate in the elections. “We want change. We want a new ...
Yemen Unstable Before Presidential Elections
A Yemeni soldier was reported dead when unidentified gunmen opened fire after an explosion went through a polling station in Aden. Government security forces were deployed to the area in anticipation of mass protests on election day. The Southern ...
February 20, 2012
Category: al-Qaeda, Elections, Featured, Government, Political transition, Protests, Yemen
POMED Notes: Protection in Practice: Intervention, Accountability, and the Role of the International Community in Domestic Conflicts
On Tuesday, The American University International Law Review hosted a symposium discussing “The Impact of the Arab Spring throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa: Building the Rule of Law and the Role of the International Community in Domestic Conflicts.” The fourth of a series of five consecutive panels addressed legal reforms and democratization in the wake of the Arab Spring. The panel featured Simon Adams, executive director of the ...
February 17, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Countries, DC Event Notes, Event Notes, ICC, International Law, Judiciary, Justice, Libya, Palestine, POMED, Rule of Law, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen
POMED Notes: Revolt, React, Revise: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned in Light of the Arab Spring
On Tuesday, The American University International Law Review hosted a symposium discussing “The Impact of the Arab Spring Throughout The Middle East and Northern Africa: Building the Rule of Law and the Role of the International Community in Domestic Conflicts.” The fourth of a series of five consecutive panels addressed legal reforms and democratization in the wake of the Arab Spring. The panel featured Rosa Brooks, professor at Georgetown University ...
February 16, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Countries, Egypt, Event Notes, International Law, Iraq, Libya, POMED, Rule of Law, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen
Yemen: Precarious Situation A Week From Presidential Elections
The Presidential elections that will complete the power transition of Yemen ending the 33 year long ruling of President Ali Abdhullah Saleh will be held on February 21. The transition was negotiated between Saleh and the Gulf Cooperation Council and signed in November 2011. Critics
February 13, 2012
Category: al-Qaeda, Elections 2012, Featured, Islamist movements, Political transition, Yemen
The Tipping Point: Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and Latin America
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...
February 8, 2012
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Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Human Rights Watch Report: No Safe Places
Human Rights Watch released a report on Tuesday titled "No Safe Places," that addresses Yemen's crackdown on protests in Taizz and provides constructive recommendations for various publics. The report chronicles many cases of attacks on protestors, civilian deaths, and denial of medical care. The recommendations are broken down by actor, and target the Yemeni government, opposition forces, U.N. Security Council, Gulf Cooperation Council, European Union, Human Rights Council, and countries that ...