Yemen: A Policy Maker's Nightmare

Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab's unsuccessful attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day of last year put Yemen and its al-Qa‘ida problem on the front page. The country's growing longstanding and growing connection with al-Qa‘ida in the Arabian Peninsula, now headquartered in Yemen, is from Yemeni President Salih's perspective the least of the problems his government faces. A six-year-old insurgency in northern Yemen that has drawn in Saudi Arabia, and a growing separatist movement in the south are higher on the President's list of political and security priorities. The country also faces oil revenues that are declining from a modest base, a burgeoning population, and a quietly growing water crisis. Charles Dunbar will address how President Salih will cope with these thorny problems, and how the United States will work with him to do so.