Q&A
Christopher Boucek
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Source: Getty
In The Media
10 Years After Cole, Yemen Becomes Militant Hotbed
Yemen has become a hotbed of Islamic militancy and is now the home base for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is arguably more of a global threat than the main branch of al-Qaeda.
Published on Oct 11, 2010
Source: NPR's All Things Considered October 11
Christopher Boucek shares that view. He's an associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who specializes in Islamic militancy and security issues in the Arabian Peninsula. Mr. Boucek, welcome to the program.
Mr. CHRISTOPHER BOUCEK (Scholar, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace): Thank you.
BLOCK: How would you describe the strength of al-Qaida in Yemen 10 years ago at the time the U.S.S. Cole was attacked?
Mr. BOUCEK: Well, I think it's important to note that there's a long history of Islamic militancy and terrorism and political violence in Yemen, going back into the early '90s. And in fact, al-Qaida's first attack against an American target took place in Yemen in 1992.
So there has always been this kind of low-level violence, and a large number of Yemenis actually participated in the jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. So there's a very long history at work here.
BLOCK: Low level of violence, though, you're saying then. What about now?
Mr. BOUCEK: I think what we see now is that the situation has escalated dramatically. And since the creation of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula last year, when the Saudi and the Yemeni affiliates all kind of merged to create one organization, the organization has become much more agile and lethal and opportunistic.
BLOCK: Well, there have been, over the years, U.S. airstrikes targeting al-Qaida in Yemen. Are those ongoing still?
Mr. BOUCEK: Well, according to published reports, these stopped several months ago, when a Yemeni official, a Yemeni government official, was killed inadvertently in one of these airstrikes. This official was actually trying to negotiate the surrender of several al-Qaida operatives.
So officially, these airstrikes have stopped. Unofficially, I'm sure that there's great cooperation and coordination between the Yemeni and the American government on counterterrorism issues.
BLOCK: You're talking about cooperation between the U.S. and the Yemeni governments, but it wasn't so long ago, I think, that the Yemeni government was seen as being complicit with al-Qaida or at least turning a blind eye to their presence in that country, right?
Mr. BOUCEK: Well, I think if you look at all of the problems going on in the country in terms of the economy, social issues, human security issues, unemployment, corruption, the civil war in the north, the southern secessionist movement, al-Qaida is very low on the priority for the Yemeni government. And hopefully, they're more focused on this issue than they have been in the past.
BLOCK: Why do you think that al-Qaida based in Yemen is more of a threat to this country than al-Qaida based in Afghanistan or Pakistan?
Mr. BOUCEK: Well, I think if you look at what's going on in South Asia, the senior leadership of al-Qaida has really suffered from this prolonged drone campaign. There's a huge American military presence right next door. The Pakistani military is increasingly active in addressing these issues. None of those factors are going on in Yemen.
There's not a visible or large military presence anywhere nearby to Yemen, and there's not an option for that. So I think what we see is that Yemen is providing the opportunity for militants to plot and plan and mount operations. Just last week, there was an operation, you know, inside the capital against a British diplomatic convoy, the second time this year.
So I think the situation not only is worsening, but the movement in Yemen is taking advantage of the absence of the government's ability to crack down on terrorism.
BLOCK: I've been talking with Christopher Boucek. He's with the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Program and co-author of the book Yemen on the Brink. Mr. Boucek, thanks very much.
Mr. BOUCEK: Thank you very much.
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.
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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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