Yemen on the Edge

{
  "authors": [
    "Christopher Boucek"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Yemen",
    "Gulf"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Yemen on the Edge

As international attention remains focused on the protests calling for the removal of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country’s manifold economic problems threaten Yemen and the region.

By Christopher Boucek

Published on Jun 11, 2011

Source: CSPAN's Washington Journal

The Arab Spring has had a profound effect on Yemen, Carnegie’s Christopher Boucek explained on CSPAN’s Washington Journal. Following the protests that broke out in Tunisia and Egypt, youth protesters and civil society activists took to the street in Yemen to demand greater accountability, an end to corruption, elections, and greater economic and social opportunities. Eventually the official political opposition parties, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), and elites outside the government joined the protesters on the street, Boucek said. “The one issue uniting these disparate groups is a call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave power and a transformation of the old regime,” explained Boucek.

However, Boucek warned that while international attention focuses on the political protests, Yemen’s struggling economy is being overlooked. If drastic measures aren’t taken to address Yemen’s manifold economic problems, Boucek said, it could lead to disastrous consequences.

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

Political Reform Economy 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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Article
In Yemen, Climate Finance Must Respond to Entrenched Instability
The world’s climate adaptation funds must adapt to address the ways that climate change is deepening state fragility.
Ray Salvatore Jennings, Paul Andrew Mayewski
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes
This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.
Galiya Ibragimova
Commentary
Emissary
Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?
The United States and Israel may have unwittingly revived the Islamic Republic’s “zombie regime.”
Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is European Diplomacy on Iran Outdated?
When the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was announced, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy declared their readiness to help demine the Strait of Hormuz and lift nuclear sanctions on Tehran. But does Europe need new tools to recover a diplomatic role?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Paper
Loyal but Powerless: The Downgrading of Russia’s Elite
The ruling elites in contemporary Russia are not a political class, but a community of managers who are not subject to competition or public accountability. The state is becoming an operating apparatus without any internal autonomy.
Alexandra Prokopenko

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Aerial view of Yemeni refugee tents displaced by war

Article

In Yemen, Climate Finance Must Respond to Entrenched Instability

The world’s climate adaptation funds must adapt to address the ways that climate change is deepening state fragility.

Ray Salvatore Jennings, Paul Andrew Mayewski

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes

This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.

Galiya Ibragimova

Man sitting in a chair reading a newspaper with Trump's face above the fold

Commentary

Emissary

Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?

The United States and Israel may have unwittingly revived the Islamic Republic’s “zombie regime.”

Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is European Diplomacy on Iran Outdated?

When the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was announced, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy declared their readiness to help demine the Strait of Hormuz and lift nuclear sanctions on Tehran. But does Europe need new tools to recover a diplomatic role?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Paper

Loyal but Powerless: The Downgrading of Russia’s Elite

The ruling elites in contemporary Russia are not a political class, but a community of managers who are not subject to competition or public accountability. The state is becoming an operating apparatus without any internal autonomy.

Alexandra Prokopenko