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.