Christopher Boucek
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Fighting in Yemen
The increasing instability in Yemen has raised concern in the international community. A failed Yemeni state could serve as a perfect safe haven for Al-Qaeda, particularly because Yemen does not possess the resources to combat these type of organizations.
Source: BBC's Analysis

Of most interest to the international community is the looming threat of an Al-Qaeda resurgence in the country. Unfortunately, Yemen does not have the capacity to fight Al-Qaeda like Saudi Arabia. “The Saudis were able to drive a wedge between the public and the extremists and demonstrate that the extremists were not thinking in the people’s interest. The Saudi’s were able to do that because they have a strong central government and a very rich government with resources, legitimacy and religious credibility. We do not see any of these things in Yemen,” remarks Boucek.
With the overall crisis in Yemen continuing to metastasize, the international community is beginning to pay more attention and American security officials discuss Yemen as a major area of concern. However, “at the same time, no administration in the last 50 years has had as many problems to deal with,” noted Boucek. “Yemen is down on the list of action items for most governments."
About the Author
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.
- Yemen After Saleh’s Return and Awlaki’s ExitQ&A
- Rivals—Iran vs. Saudi ArabiaQ&A
Christopher Boucek, Karim Sadjadpour
Recent Work
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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