Current Events

641: CURRENT EVENTS
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Introduction
The current political upheavals and instability in Yemen has been ongoing since 2011 when Ali Abdullah Saleh was forcefully removed from power. Yemen was formed in 1990 and Ali Abdulla Saleh had been the president since 1990 and his autocratic leadership style led to widespread protests. Mr. Saleh was replaced in 2012 by Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi after the United Nations brokered a political transition deal, but this did not solve the underlying issues because the country had been divided along political and sectarian lines. The fragile country descended into chaos in 2014 despite the fact the transitional political arrangement had brought some relative calm. The country’s capital, Sana’a was overrun in September, 2014 by North –Yemen based groups known the Houthis. Mr. Hadi was placed under house arrest by the Houthis but later escaped with the help of the US and Saudi Arabia. The involvement of the US in the Yemen conflict is a clear indication of its changing foreign policy towards the Middle East.[1. Rugh, William. "Yemen and the United States: Conflicting Priorities". The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs 34, no. 2 (summer 2010):, p. 112]
U.S-Yemeni Relations
When it comes to the US policy interests in the Middle East, Yemen has never been a major priority for the U.S, but for the half century, the country has managed to attract Washington’s attention. Since the early 2000s when terror groups intensified their activities across the world, Yemen has always caught the eye of Washington to a significant degree. The political stability of Yemen since its formation in 1990 as well as its impact on Saudi Arabia has been the major focus of the US. Washington’s interests in the Middle East have always been hampered by opposing ideological forces that are based in Yemen. The evolution of these forces has taken place over the years and that is why the US has always been reluctant to fully engage with the Sana’a governments.[Juneau, Thomas. "Yemen: Prospects for State Failure-Implications and Remedy". Middle East Policy XVII, no. 3 (2010), p. 134.] [Sharp, Jeremy. Yemen: Background and U. S. Relations. New York: DIANE Publishing, 2010, p. 68] [Looney, Robert. Handbook of US-Middle East Relations. London: Routledge, 2014, p. 105]
The presence of the anti-status quo in forces in Yemen makes the US to view Yemen Regimes as untrustworthy, undependable and fragile. The inability of recent Sana’a governments to deal with pressing socio-economic crises and their unwillingness to deal with Islamism extremism is some of the reasons why the US has always maintained a wobbly relationship with Yemen. The US fears that the security of the entire region will be threatened by the presence of antagonistic elements in Yemen ad that is why Washington has been keen on re-establishing its relations with Yemen in recent years. The US needs the support of the Yemeni government to root out terror groups from the country and the entire Middle East.[Luther, Evander. United States-Yemen Relations. New York: Acu Publishing, 2012, p.113] [DiRosilia, Benyamin. Yemen: Foreign Relations and Challen...