Yemen

Top News: Yemen Confronts Rising Pressure to Divide

A federal state is likely to emerge from the National Dialogue, but it is questionable whether the new constitution will be ratified in a countrywide referendum in November, as Herak—the Southern secessionist party that has largely boycotted the talks—demanded that Yemen be partitioned into the northern and southern states that existed before unification in 1990.

An Insider’s Perspective of Yemen Political Dialogue

By Jason Harmala

Yemen’s National Dialogue, which began on March 18, has been criticized for its lack of inclusiveness but has also received praise for successfully bringing together Yemenis to work through a number of issues. In order to examine the differing perspectives on the Dialogue, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable luncheon […]

Drone Policy Hurts US Image in Yemen

By Danya Greenfield and David Kramer

Most news out of the Middle East these days is dispiriting: the devastating civil war in Syria, the autocratic nature of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt, continued militia activity in Libya, a coalition collapse in Tunisia. Less discussed, and surprisingly positive, is the political situation in Yemen.

US Efforts in Yemen Must Expand Beyond Counterterrorism

By Jason Harmala

Now is the right time to reevaluate US policies in Yemen as President Barack Obama begins his second term and while Yemen is at a critical juncture in its political transition. On March 26, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted an event […]

Overcoming the Pitfalls of Yemen’s National Dialogue

By Danya Greenfield

Among the urban elite and diplomatic community in Sanaa, all eyes will turn to the launch of the long-awaited National Dialogue Conference today, a key component of the transition plan agreed upon in November 2011 that ushered out former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in exchange for full immunity. The good news about the internationally-backed agreement […]

Yemen: A Glass Half-Full

By Danya Greenfield

Nearly every news article on Yemen begins with a detailed laundry-list of challenges the country faces on a daily basis (violent separatism in the South, humanitarian crises, unemployment); it is far more difficult to paint a positive picture of progress in a troubled land with deep political cleavages. However, in the world of glass half-empty […]