Without a doubt, Yemen presents a complex challenge for policy makers. Numerous governments have grappled with implementing an integrated policy toward Yemen. There is near unanimity on what the international community wants to avoid in Yemen: the collapse of the state and greater operational space for al-Qaeda to plan and launch attacks against western and allied interests. A key obstacle, however, is that no one can very well articulate what a ‘failed’ Yemen looks like, much less the triggers that might lead to state failure. It has therefore been extremely difficult for policy makers to design a policy when they do not know what they want to avoid and do not know how it might happen. Rather than concentrating on state failure in Yemen, a more useful approach may be to focus on the notion of ‘regime failure’. 

 

In large part, US policy toward Yemen has focused almost exclusively on the issues of terrorism, counter-terrorism, and al-Qaeda. To be sure, terrorism and security are major issues with regards to Yemen; however, the United States should not allow these issues to dominate the relationship. Terrorism and al- Qaeda may be the current issues of most concern for Washington (and London, Brussels, and Riyadh), but they are not the greatest threats to Yemeni stability. 

 

In order to improve security and stability in Yemen, US policy should be focused on addressing the systemic sources of instability in the country. These include a collapsing economy, rampant corruption, widespread unemployment, rapid resource depletion, and a series of political and socio-economic challenges that have manifested themselves as security challenges for the current government. A policy centered on counter-terrorism to the near exclusion of other issues will ultimately prove counterproductive. While initial gains may be seen, they could be short lived. Improvement in American and allied security will come when conditions in Yemen for all Yemenis improve.