Yemen Becomes New Focus of U.S. Antiterrorism Efforts

The United States and Britain temporarily closed their embassies in Yemen because of threats from a local branch of al Qaeda. Counterterrorism aides to President Obama said the closure took place because Islamist extremists are planning to attack the American diplomatic building. The embassy was attacked in 2008, when car bombs were detonated outside the entrance and armed men tried to break in.

Britain and the United States are seeking international support for vigorous counterterrorist actions by Yemen’s government. The Obama administration has already increased military aid to Yemen, and the top U.S. commander in Iraq and Afghanistan recently visited Yemen to discuss a new partnership to increase intelligence-sharing, training, and possibly joint attacks against terrorists.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was responsible for the bombing in 2000 of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, which killed 17 American sailors. More recently, the Nigerian passenger who attempted to bomb an airliner over Detroit on December 25, 2009, was said to have been trained and equipped by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen. Further, U.S. officials investigating the November 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, found links between the accused gunman and a radical imam (Islamic leader) in Yemen.

Yemen is already struggling with civil war and has become a haven for al Qaeda fighters. Moreover, the country is socially and politically impoverished. Its exploding population suffers 40 percent unemployment, and its oil resources are being rapidly used up, leading U.S. intelligence officials to warn that its strategic location and instability make it a worrisome trouble spot.

Related Links

• Security Threats Keep US, British Embassies Closed in Yemen
  This story recounts the recent events in Yemen surrounding the rise of the terrorism threat there.
  (Source: VOA News, January 4, 2010)
• Yemeni Groups Pose New Set of Terrorism Threats
  This article explores the nature of the terrorist threat emerging in Yemen and its connection to other events.
  (Source: Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2010)
• US Behind the Scenes of Yemen Terrorism Fight
  This article discusses background factors that are bringing Yemen into the center of antiterrorism efforts.
  (Source: Christian Science Monitor, December 31, 2009)
• Map of Yemen
  Yemen is located at the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia.
  (Source: The University of Texas)

Other Issues in the Region

Population Relocation

Expanding economies in the Middle East have led some countries in the region to rely on “guest workers” from other countries. While many guest workers are unskilled laborers, some take skilled positions in oil or high-tech industries. The presence of so many guest workers can lead to culture clashes. The workers face complicated employment laws, and sometimes live or work in unsafe conditions. They can also become the target of terrorists whose agenda includes removing foreign influences from their countries.

• Arroyo Announces P1-B Fund for Displaced Overseas Filipino Workers
  President Arroyo of the Philippines has announced a program that will offer aid to Filipino workers living overseas in the Middle East. Many workers who moved from the Philippines to the Middle East have lost their jobs. The new program will help them find new work, or retrain them to work in other industries. (Source: ABS-CBN, February 2, 2009)

Oil Wealth Fuels Change

Oil fuels the world’s industries and transportation—and its economies. Oil became a valuable strategic commodity, a resource so important that nations will go to war to ensure its steady supply. Southwest Asia contains much of the world’s oil supply, but oil prices rise and fall unpredictably. As a result, Southwest Asian countries cannot always plan how much revenue oil will bring in.
Economic development requires diversification—the development of multiple sectors of an economy, such as agriculture, mining, and technology. The countries of Southwest Asia are also investing oil profits in building and improving other infrastructure essentials, such as roads and telecommunications. Moreover, there is an awareness of the need to provide education, since economic development requires the knowledge and skills of a well-trained and well-informed workforce and citizenry.

Conflict over Land

Conflicts between Jews and Arabs over land controlled by Israel continue to disrupt life in the region. The Palestinian people living in Israel are seeking their own autonomous nation. The signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians suggested that the two sides could achieve a permanent peace. But by the early 21st century, violence had spiked once again. In August of last year, Israel pulled all of its settlers out of the Gaza Strip region. Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in 1967, and since then it has been a major point of contention between Israelis and the Palestinians who live there and insist the land is theirs. In January of 2006, the Hamas Party was elected into power in the Palestinian Territories.

• Scale of Gaza Destruction Emerges
  The three-week Israeli military offensive aimed at Gaza in January 2009 left 1,300 Palestinians dead and tens of thousands homeless. A cease-fire was called after three weeks of attacks, but Hamas soon began launching missiles into Israel again, and sporadic violence continued. (Source: BBC, January 19, 2009)