Yemen on the Precipice

   Early today a city of 40,000 people in Yemen was taken over by a force of Al Qaeda militants. The city, Radda is just 100 miles south of the country's capitol. Yemen is currently ruled by the authoritarian president Ali Abdullah Saleh who will step down in a few weeks because of massive protests. Many people accuse the president of allowing Al Qaeda to capture Radda and two other southern cities so he can create a crisis and stay in power. President Saleh has been a strong ally in fighting Al Qaeda but America called for the president to step down about a year ago and withdrew all support.

   I have a few thoughts on this. First this is a danger to the entire region. Yemen is located just south of Saudi Arabia, which is one of our biggest allies. A pro-terror state to its south and an increasingly aggressive  Iran to it's northeast is very unsettling. In addition to that if Yemen falls to Al Qaeda Oman may follow and then the United Arab Emerates. The world could be facing another domino effect similar to the one that happened in Asia during the cold war. My next thought is on President Saleh. He is a bad man. He killed thousands of his own people in an attempt to stay in power, however he was able to keep Al Qaeda in line. The fact that Saleh is letting these militants take cities and not pushing back in order to stay in power is sickening. This man is bad on every level.

President Saleh

   So overall Yemen is in crisis. Once their president steps down like planned they should launch an aggressive assault on the captured southern regions of the country. The people should put their leader on trial for killing protesters and neglecting to protect the country. If Yemen falls it will make the middle east even less stable and will make travel through the Suez canal even more dangerous.

Yemen's location shows how if it falls it can threaten access to the Suez canal, ships passing through the area would have to deal with both Somali pirates and Yemenite pirates.


Original news story and video: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/16/report-al-qaeda-militants-capture-town-in-yemen/?test=latestnews#ixzz1jc0NR3IE

second source; http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57359577/yemen-town-captured-by-al-qaeda-militants/