Yemen on The Brink

Book

Yemen on The Brink

Without addressing Yemen's immediate security challenges—including a civil war in the North, a secessionist movement in the South, and a resurgent al-Qaeda organization—the country's long-term economic and governance issues cannot be resolved.

By Christopher Boucek and Marina Ottaway

Published on Sep 23, 2010

Source: Washington

Yemen is a nation in crisis. A civil war in the North, a secessionist movement in the South, and a resurgent al-Qaeda organization are active against a background of economic collapse, lack of state capacity, and governance and corruption issues. Without addressing Yemen’s immediate security challenges, the country’s long-term economic and governance issues cannot be resolved. Yemen on the Brink brings together analyses of the critical problems that have brought Yemen close to state failure. The volume offers assessments by leading experts of Yemen’s major security challenges, and broadens the discussion of the tools available to the international community to pull the country back from the brink. Separate chapters examine the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula; the complex relationship between al-Qaeda and the tribes; the Southern secessionist movement; and the civil war in Saada.

Advance Praise

“A compelling study on the part of Carnegie to help explain the complexities of Yemen to increasingly concerned Western policy makers.”

—Nabeel Khoury, U.S. Department of State

“Political, economic, and security developments in Yemen increasingly affect the European Union, and this book will serve as a valuable resource for policy makers as they work to address the many challenges facing Yemen.”

—Gilles De Kerchove, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator

About the Authors

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.

Marina Ottaway

Former Senior Associate, Middle East Program

Before joining the Endowment, Ottaway carried out research in Africa and in the Middle East for many years and taught at the University of Addis Ababa, the University of Zambia, the American University in Cairo, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Middle East Yemen Gulf Political Reform Security Foreign Policy

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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