What's new

Terrorism threat in Yemen !

Hezam

Out of Service
24 Aug 2007
2,539
122
84
Patrick Cockburn: Threats to Yemen prove America hasn't learned the lesson of history
Posted by The Independent

* Thursday, 31 December 2009 at 01:20 am

Born of bitterness

We are the nails that go into the rock

We are the sparks of hell

He who defies us will be burned

This is the tribal chant of the powerful Awaleq tribe of Yemen, in which they bid defiance to the world. Its angry tone conveys the flavour of Yemeni life and it should give pause to those in the US who blithely suggest greater American involvement in Yemen in the wake of the attempt to destroy a US plane by a Nigerian student who says he received training there.

Yemen has always been a dangerous place. Wonderfully beautiful, the mountainous north of the country is guerrilla paradise. The Yemenis are exceptionally hospitable, though this has its limits. For instance, the Kazam tribe east of Aden are generous to passing strangers, but deem the laws of hospitality to lapse when the stranger leaves their tribal territory, at which time he becomes "a good back to shoot at".

The Awaleq and Kazam tribes are not exotic survivals on the margins of Yemeni society but are both politically important and influential. The strength of the central government in the capital, Sanaa, is limited and it generally avoids direct confrontations with tribal confederations, tribes, clans and powerful families. Almost everybody has a gun, usually at least an AK-47 assault rifle, but tribesmen often own heavier armament.

I have always loved the country. It is physically very beautiful with cut stone villages perched on mountain tops on the sides of which are cut hundreds of terraces, making the country look like an exaggerated Tuscan landscape. Yemenis are intelligent, humorous, sociable and democratic, infinitely preferable as company to the arrogant and ignorant playboys of the Arab oil states in the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is very much a country of direct action. Once when I was there a Chinese engineer was kidnapped as he drove along the main road linking Sanaa to Aden. The motives of the kidnappers were peculiar. It turned out they came from a bee-keeping tribe (Yemen is famous for its honey) whose bees live in hives inside hollow logs placed on metal stilts to protect them from ants. The police had raided the tribe's village and had damaged hives for which the owners were demanding compensation. The government had been slow in paying up so the tribesmen had decided to draw attention to their grievance by kidnapping the next foreigner on the main road and this turned out to be the Chinese engineer.

Yemen is a mosaic of conflicting authorities, though this authority may be confined to a few villages. Larger communities include the Shia around Sanaa in the north of the country near Saada, with whom the government has been fighting a fierce little civil war. The unification of North and South Yemen in 1990 has never wholly gelled and the government is wary of southern secessionism. Its ability to buy off its opponents is also under threat as oil revenues fall, with the few oilfields beginning to run dry.

It is in this fascinating but dangerous land that President Barack Obama is planning to increase US political and military involvement. Joint operations will be carried out by the US and Yemeni military. There will be American drone attacks on hamlets where al-Qa'ida supposedly has its bases.

There is ominous use by American politicians and commentators of the phrase "failed state" in relation to Yemen, as if this some how legitimised foreign intervention. It is extraordinary that the US political elite has never taken on board that its greatest defeats have been in just such "failed states"', not least Lebanon in 1982, when 240 US Marines were blown up; Somalia in the early 1990s when the body of a US helicopter pilot was dragged through the streets; Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein; and Afghanistan after the supposed fall of the Taliban.

Yemen has all the explosive ingredients of Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. But the arch-hawk Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, was happily confirming this week that the Green Berets and the US Special Forces are already there. He cited with approval an American official in Sanaa as telling him that, "Iraq was yesterday's war. Afghanistan is today's war. If you don't act pre-emptively Yemen will be tomorrow's war." In practice pre-emptive strikes are likely to bring a US military entanglement in Yemen even closer.

The US will get entangled because the Yemeni government will want to manipulate US action in its own interests and to preserve its wilting authority. It has long been trying to portray the Shia rebels in north Yemen as Iranian cats-paws in order to secure American and Saudi support. Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) probably only has a few hundred activists in Yemen, but the government of long time Yemeni President Ali Abdulah Salih will portray his diverse opponents as somehow linked to al-Qa'ida.

In Yemen the US will be intervening on one side in a country which is always in danger of sliding into a civil war. This has happened before. In Iraq the US was the supporter of the Shia Arabs and Kurds against the Sunni Arabs. In Afghanistan it is the ally of the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazara against the Pashtun community. Whatever the intentions of Washington, its participation in these civil conflicts destabilises the country because one side becomes labelled as the quisling supporter of a foreign invader. Communal and nationalist antipathies combine to create a lethal blend.

Despite sectarian, ethnic and tribal loyalties in the countries where the US has intervened in the Middle East, they usually have a strong sense of national identity. Yemenis are highly conscious of their own nationality and their identity as Arabs. One of the reasons the country is so miserably poor, with almost half its 22 million people trying to live on $2 a day, is that in 1990 Yemen refused to join the war against Iraq and Saudi Arabia consequently expelled 850,000 Yemeni workers.

It is extraordinary to see the US begin to make the same mistakes in Yemen as it previously made in Afghanistan and Iraq. What it is doing is much to al-Qa'ida's advantage. The real strength of al-Qa'ida is not that it can "train" a fanatical Nigerian student to sew explosives into his underpants, but that it can provoke an exaggerated US response to every botched attack. Al-Qa'ida leaders openly admitted at the time of 9/11 that the aim of such operations is to provoke the US into direct military intervention in Muslim countries.

In Yemen the US is walking into the al-Qa'ida trap. Once there it will face the same dilemma it faces in Iraq and Afghanistan. It became impossible to exit these conflicts because the loss of face would be too great. Just as Washington saved banks and insurance giants from bankruptcy in 2008 because they were "too big to fail," so these wars become too important to lose because to do so would damage the US claim to be the sole superpower.

In Iraq the US is getting out more easily than seemed likely at one stage because Washington has persuaded Americans that they won a non-existent success. The ultimate US exit from Afghanistan may eventually be along very similar lines. But the danger of claiming spurious victories is that such distortions of history make it impossible for the US to learn from past mistakes and instead it repeats them by fresh interventions in countries like Yemen.

Qoute from :
http://opinion.independentminds.livejournal.com/1548105.html

Some people were confused where i got the information,But it seems like they dont read news so this is the Source.

The Yemeni Government is fighting three threats now :
1-The separatist group in the south.
2-The Shiites ( Hothi ) in the north.
3-AlQaeda everywhere in Yemen.

As you read above,the US government is stressing the Yemeni Government to prevent Alqaeda during this mess without any help !

I understand that most american people dont know about the middle east but for those who want to know i posted this thread.

What do you think US should do to Yemen ?

P.S : Please read all the article before posting.
 
Damn it, I had a whole page typed and closed the window.

Few sentence summary since I need to get to sleep. Going into Yemen in anyway would be an utter disaster and waste of resources, the security checks and systems in place could have easily stopped the guy had people been doing their jobs correctly. The US is already falling apart economic wise, education wise, health care wise, and plenty more, the last thing we need is MORE foreign wars that we gain nothing from other than making more people hate us more since we are seen as invaders in many areas. I mentioned I had watched a few videos about Afghanistan and the situation there in the post that I accidentally deleted, here is what I am referring to the situation, which would be similar to what the US would be getting into Yemen or other areas most likely http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/195572/Afghanistan-National-Army.html

However, I'm not that knowledgeable of the situation right now since I have been busy with research so take my opinion with a grain of salt on this matter.

Interesting topic Hezam, this is more along the lines of the direction I was referring to. The only thing is that this is more of an opinion piece rather than an informational article, but still an interesting read from that perspective.
 
I am happy the Yemeni Government killed many members of Al-Qaeda few days ago...The Yemeni people support the government to prevent those bombers..
What i hope from the Arabic countries and the US & Europe is to support yemen in this hard time..
Saudi Arabia is doing well with those Hothis,Still Yemen needs more support but not foriegn solders.
Alqaeda is a couple of poor and ignorant people,so If Yemeni Government stop stealing money and oil,And make good Foreign investment then the Yemeni people can work and get jobs and go to school instead of joining Alqaeda as a last choice of their lives.
You can notice that Alqaeda depends on poor/ignorant people especially in Afghanistan and Somalia and Yemen ...etc.
The Western Media must stop faking and fooling people,See in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,Qatar,UAE,Oman ..There are no Terrorists !! Because people work,Go to school,having fun...etc.

My dream is to see US & Europe & Islamic world in peace and trust each other....
the US must stop supporting Israel witch is the only reason for Terrorism.
American people have the Priority not Israel.
We did not refused Jewish or any other religions,we Must stop being extremes..

Gosh it's all dreams but i can imagine how beautiful world we can create !

P.S : you can find interesting comments to that qoute in the newspaper website.

Thank you.
 
That's not a source; it's an opinion piece. What does this brilliant author propose we do about al Qaida in Yemen?

If a country hosts terrorists who attack us, they can expect bombs to rain down in return.

"the US must stop supporting Israel witch is the only reason for Terrorism."

People who suppose that the US can be blackmailed by terrorism into dropping support for Israel should stop taking hallucinogenic drugs.

If it wasn't Israel, those people would find some other pretext for blaming their own failures on the West.
 
Last edited:
RolandtheHeadless,It start with opinion and grow up to be a plan.
If a country hosts terrorists who attack us, they can expect bombs to rain down in return.
This is very offensive ! Do we host those terrorists in our desire ?

People who suppose that the US can be blackmailed by terrorism into dropping support for Israel should stop taking hallucinogenic drugs.
Totally wrong,Al-Qaeda always say they fight for Palestine..
And why do you ftand with Israel witch is the terrorism creater..It's very clear that you dont have any idea about this mess..the US supprot Israel witch is our enemy.If i speak through your logic i will say the same "they can expect bombs to rain down in return" !!
The Only problem between the west and the middle east is Israel,you can read the history of the 100 years ago of the middle east and you will be shocked.
Thank you.
 
Hezam, I think you're too much gullible. You can't believe anything you read, nor take an opinion text for actual information. You need to use your own discretion and evaluate things for what you make out of them, and not for just what you've seen other people stating or claiming.

Besides, I know you watch political shows from the US. That alone should provide you with in depth knowledge about who Lieberman is, how he functions and his motivations for doing such a claim.
 
Well,Actually it's not new,After the 11 September the US government said they will Bomb Saudi Arabia and Yemen,before they decided to attack Afghanistan.
Another opinion is to bomb Makkah !
So it's very old news.
 
The Only problem between the west and the middle east is Israel

The problem is the antagonism between the Arabs and the Jews, on the one hand, and on the other it is the religious polarisation. It is like one huge BDSM threesome involving Islam, Judaism and Christianity where each party wants to hold the whip. Frankly, so long as the three sides are bombarding each other with dogmatic rubbish and vacuous ideology, no meaningful dialogue is possible, the rubbish is manifested to a great extent in your views and Roland's 'bombs shall rain down' nonsense. People need a great dose of **** and the noble leaders need to draw up inventories of their needs rather than lists of the atrocities committed by the other parties as atrocities are pretty ******* abundant on all three sides. Ugh.
 
Well,Actually it's not new,After the 11 September the US government said they will Bomb Saudi Arabia and Yemen,before they decided to attack Afghanistan.
Another opinion is to bomb Makkah !
So it's very old news.
The point is, it is not news. I don't actually recall Bush making such claims, and I somehow doubt it, specially since he is all buddies with the Saudi Leader, something that is legacy from his father.

Besides, the Saudi Arabia is only the biggest oil export for the US economy, why would anyone bomb, or even suggest to bomb, anything in Saudi Arabia? Do you see the implications to the USA in that kind of scenario? And how it would be impossible?
 
Well,Actually it's not new,After the 11 September the US government said they will Bomb Saudi Arabia and Yemen,before they decided to attack Afghanistan.
Another opinion is to bomb Makkah !
So it's very old news.

Opinions don't mean jack sh*t unless they are supported. While I think it is an interesting opinion piece, it CERTAINLY isn't "fact" and I hope you aren't taking it as that Hezam. Anything you find in text doesn't mean it is legit or can be trusted as true. Opinion isn't fact. It is an interesting opinion piece you posted though, but that doesn't make it anymore than that.

Oh, and NEVER heard anyone talking about bombing Saudi Arabia. I really wonder where you get your news and why if maybe Hideway is right about the gullible part. That doesn't even make sense considering most people against the Iraq war and such thought that it was oil that was the motivator.
 
The problem is the antagonism between the Arabs and the Jews, on the one hand, and on the other it is the religious polarisation.
hmm....actually it's not between Arab and Jewish neither religious polarisation,Jewish lived between us for along time and many of them are still living in peace like in Yemen,Iraq,Iran,Morrocco...
It's occupation and Security threat matter.
It's strange ! you are still confused about it !
People need a great dose of **** and the noble leaders need to draw up inventories of their needs
Ture.
Besides, the Saudi Arabia is only the biggest oil export for the US economy, why would anyone bomb, or even suggest to bomb, anything in Saudi Arabia? Do you see the implications to the USA in that kind of scenario? And how it would be impossible?
May i tell you something..
There is a rumer about American plan to make a land for Palestinians in Jordan and make a land in The west reagon of Saudi Arabia for the Jordan Government since they were in Makkah before the Saudi Government.

I live here and i hear/see many things happen.
 
Opinions don't mean jack sh*t unless they are supported. While I think it is an interesting opinion piece, it CERTAINLY isn't "fact" and I hope you aren't taking it as that Hezam. Anything you find in text doesn't mean it is legit or can be trusted as true. Opinion isn't fact. It is an interesting opinion piece you posted though, but that doesn't make it anymore than that.

Oh, and NEVER heard anyone talking about bombing Saudi Arabia. I really wonder where you get your news and why if maybe Hideway is right about the gullible part. That doesn't even make sense considering most people against the Iraq war and such thought that it was oil that was the motivator.

I did not say that it's a fact,but it's probability,Remember when the US bomb Libia and Sudan and Attacked Somalia ! It was for some wrong information.

I will search for the sourse...
 
Let me tell you what people here think about the Neigerian guy,They think it's a story made by US and UK to make Yemen like Pakistan or Afghanistan now..

Today British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that Yemen has become a "safe haven and incubator for terrorism", and that it "constitutes a threat to security and regional and global stability."

Dont misunderstand me i am only posting what people said and what i read in News website and newspapers.
 

Something that might add to one perspective to the terrorism issue. Mostly opinion based, but an interesting viewpoint. I do want to state though, I have a LOT of problems with various aspects of the documentary (far too many to even list), but still found it interesting. (Anything that uses Fox news as a reference I start to doubt)

As for what I think of the recent bombing, it seems absolutely real from what I have seen so far. While it is always possible right wingers can exploit the situation to put into place whatever they want under the veil of public fear caused by the terrorism, I see no reason to simply ASSUME that it is ALL fake.

That would be like me assuming that the article you posted is ALL LIES, cause no guy would ever be named Cockburn and survive school.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is crazy ! that guy who said "We want to see sharia here" !
I dont know what he means by "We" ?!!!!
Why did he went to US if he wants Sharia !! Why did not the police prison hom or get him back to where he came from......

Today,The Somalian group "ASh-shabab Al-Mujahideen" said that they will support Al-Qaeda in Yemen and they will come across the sea to help them !!!!!!!!!!!! It's getting worse !
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/20101210264816525.html

I am very worry about Yemen...
 
I dunno, Middle-east has been going to h*ll over the years, And it's potential isn't gonna go up any time soon.

Now before i get flamed by other members, I don't like terrorism as much as the next guy, But this trend is starting to get to a common occurrence. 9/11, London train bomb, the India bombing.

Hazam, You have my sympathy dude. if you live in Yemen or near-by, and you will have to be terrified that you'll go though with this unwillingly.

If this does indeed happen, my thought go out to everyone.
 
Jncocontrol,The Middle East now still is under colonization ( UK - France - and USA ).
And those Arabic Leaders are Agents for the west,All the Wealth go to them and we Poeple get nothing..
On Top of that,They created Israel by using the power against Arab and this made it worse.
A few groups appeared like Al-Qaeda And Al-Shabab..etc.
................................................................................................etc

Now before i get flamed by other members, I don't like terrorism as much as the next guy, But this trend is starting to get to a common occurrence. 9/11, London train bomb, the India bombing.
Why would someone flame you ??
You said what you think...I understand you though.

Thank you for your kind words,I hope to see the peace in Yemen soon.
 
Now before i get flamed by other members, I don't like terrorism as much as the next guy, But this trend is starting to get to a common occurrence. 9/11, London train bomb, the India bombing.

I don't know of anyone who really flames on this forum. The most I've seen (or done hehe), is sarcastic remarks or so.
 
Today France and Japan closed their embassies.
The Yemeni Security killed two from AlQaeda in the Capital ( San'a ).
Foreign minister says Yemen will deal with al-Qaeda threats "its own way".
Yemen needs support only not solders from any other country.
Hillary Clinton: the situation in Yemen threatens regional stability and international
I advise her to take bath.
 
Hezam, I didn't intend to offend you. I don't always agree with you, but respect you for your outspokenness and because I don't hear many other views from your part of the world.

Perhaps I should have said "shelters" instead of "hosts." I was thinking of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Al Qaida may claim to be fighting for Palestine, but they won't blackmail the US by threats of violence. These attempts will only backfire. Already we are seeing renewed calls for racial/ethnic profiling in security screening because of this Yemeni want-to-be terrorist.

It seems to me that the issues between Israel and the Muslim nations of the Middle East are based on bigotry and religious hatred. Being American, I don't understand governments that are controlled by religious groups. I support a harder line against Israel's actions, and a reasonable settlement that recognizes all groups' rights and interests. That's not likely to happen so long as one side makes us targets of terrorism.
 
I know exactly what you mean RolandtheHeadless,It won't be good for the world if the US attacked or threaten by those groups...but you know how painful when i see the US support Isarel with all different weapon including the Nuclear Bombs,All Arab countries have not good weapons and Israel has up to 200 nuclear bombs.
I belive if you open Al-Jazeera english website and search for Gazza,you will understand what i mean.
^^

... you want Hilary to take a bath? :D I'm confused by this...
hahaha i meant she should rather take a bath instead of this claim.
we say it here like this 😊

Hillary doesn't exactly top my list of women I'd like to see in a bathtub.
better for her,she broke her hand in the past so bathtube will be safer.
 
Back
Top Bottom