Déjà vu in Yemen: A Three-Pronged War and Chinese Massage Parlors Threaten a Lingering Dictatorship
In Yemen, the country seems well on its way toward Afghanization or Sudanization, thirty years after the current dictator, Ali Abdullah Salih, came to power through a military coup. The country, and its regime, is facing a serious triple threat to its existence in its current form.
In addition to the rapid expansion of al-Qaeda in the tribal area around the capital Sana', there has been a continuing standoff with the Shi’a Houthis in the North. Al-Qaeda operatives can also sneak in from Saudi Arabia. There is no coordination between these two groups.
Now the southern part of Yemen is threatening, for a second time, to regain its independence. The south used to be the Democratic Republic of Yemen (a ka South Yemen), the grouping of former British colonies from the capital Aden through Hadramout and to the Omani border. About twenty years ago the rift between its leftist leaders led to an ill-advised union with the heavily tribal, heavily qat-chewing North Yemen.
Now the southerners are having second thoughts. They had second thoughts in 1994, but were ruthlessly put down, even though most Persian Gulf states supported that secession, at least implicitly. They did it because Salih had supported Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Kuwait. Now there is daily fighting and bombings in the South, and there are demonstrations against Sana', but most Arab regimes, including in the Gulf, support the dictator in Sana.
The people of the South, apparently most of them, meanwhile, want their independence back. But it is as difficult to get an Arab leader to grant independence to a captive people as it is impossible for an Arab leader to give up power. Independence requires fighting for it. Getting rid of a lingering Arab leader requires carrying him out of the ‘palace’ gagged and bound- or praying for fate to deal with him quickly. No matter, the goons and thugs remain: they are quickly adopted by the new dictator or despot and put to good use.
Maybe it was just Chinese acupuncture with a spot of green tea:
“The Society for the Propagation of Virtue (and the Prevention of Vice, I assume) has closed several Chinese massage parlors and restaurants in the capital San’a……The establishments were accused of ‘practicing’ vice and spreading sin and immorality…..”
Cheers
mhg
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