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Paper

Evaluating Political Reform in Yemen

In a region dominated by single-party authoritarian regimes, some experts concluded that the opposition's success in the Yemeni 2006 presidential election marked major democratic reform. But did the election truly indicate a shift toward substantial political reform, or was the regime simply allowing minor electoral freedoms while seeking to maintain the status quo? 

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By Sarah Phillips
Published on Feb 14, 2007

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Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

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Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Yemeni democratic reform was lauded following the 2006 presidential election when a credible opposition candidate captured 22 percent of the vote.  In a region dominated by single-party authoritarian regimes, some experts concluded that the opposition’s success made this the most significant election in the Middle East. But did the election truly indicate a shift toward substantial political reform, or was the regime simply allowing minor electoral freedoms while seeking to maintain the status quo?  What can outsiders do to help facilitate democratic reforms in Yemen? 

In this Carnegie Paper, Evaluating Political Reform in Yemen, Sarah Phillips, a specialist on Yemeni politics, assesses the significance of Yemen’s limited democratic reforms since national unification and recommends steps that Yemeni and foreign actors can take to promote more meaningful reform.

Phillips contends that the regime has built its political survival on the same system that could undermine its future.  If Yemen is to remain a viable state, aggressive political and economic reform must weaken the current patronage system and the legal inconstancies that stem from it—which Phillips believes are the biggest obstacles to reform.

The Yemeni government’s need for international donors opens up opportunities for foreign governments to influence further reform.  “If significant political changes are to occur in Yemen, it is primarily for the Yemeni regime to choose.  However, the West should still apply consistent pressure in this direction and work to build the capacity of domestic actors who share this goal,” says Phillips.

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About the Author
Sarah Phillips is a Ph.D. candidate at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University, where she taught Arab politics. She is currently working as a consultant on regional stability and political reform dynamics, and is preparing a book manuscript from her doctoral research. Phillips specializes in Yemeni politics, political participation, democratization and reform in the Arab world, and the role of Islamists in these processes.

Sarah Phillips
Middle EastYemenPolitical ReformDemocracy

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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