Instability in Yemen

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In The Media

Instability in Yemen

There is no long-term military solution to the multitude of economic, environmental, social, and political problems that are destabilizing Yemen.

By Christopher Boucek

Published on Oct 30, 2010

Source: BBC's Today

Instability and insecurity in Yemen is fueled by a “multitude of causes, including unemployment, an economic collapse, corruption, resource depletion, education and governance deficiencies, along with three different insurgencies,” according to Christopher Boucek. While there is an immediate counter-terrorism imperative to go after al-Qaeda cells planning attacks from within Yemen's borders, there is no long-term military solution to Yemen’s problems.

The United States gives several hundred million dollars in aid to Yemen, a number that is strikingly small compared to the aid given to Pakistan. Yet Yemen provides an arguably larger threat to U.S. national security, argued Boucek. Ultimately, there is no simple solution to Yemen’s problems. The United States and the rest of the international community can only help to mitigate and manage these problems.

About the Author

Christopher Boucek

Former Associate, Middle East Program

Boucek was an associate in the Carnegie Middle East Program where his research focused on security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa.

Recent Work

Q&A
Yemen After Saleh’s Return and Awlaki’s Exit
- Christopher Boucek
Q&A
Rivals—Iran vs. Saudi Arabia
- Christopher Boucek, Karim Sadjadpour

Security Middle East Yemen Gulf

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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