Middle East security expert Yoel Guzansky says the West has not yet woken up to Yemen’s increasing role in nourishing Islamic terrorism. Without Western pressure, he says, the dangers will only grow.
Guzansky, a expert on Yemen and member of the Institute for National Security Studies (formerly the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University), told Arutz-7 that Yemen has long been characterized by grave poverty and inter-tribal hostilities. Other problems there include the inability of the regime to clamp down and enforce law and order throughout the country, and the intervention of both Iran and the West in its internal affairs.
“Yemen is nearing the status of a failed nation,” Guzansky says. “The intense security tensions in the south, the growth of Al-Qaeda, and more – all this emphasize the failure. Yemen is a torn country, and amidst the splits and breaks, it is easy for the Taliban and its ilk to use it as a center.”
“Western pressure on the terrorist organizations in Pakistan and Afghanistan actually push them to Yemen, which has become much more convenient for them,” Guzansky observes.
Israel Could be Threatened
“The chaos in Yemen – the piracy nearby, the violence, extremism, etc. – will become a threat to Israel in the near future,” he warns. “We know of some 60 million weapons in Yemen, with no supervision. There could be even more. Some of them are smuggled into Sudan, and from there to Hamas.”
Guzansky feels that the United States has not yet understood the correct approach in dealing with Yemen: “The U.S. prefers to deal with ‘terrorism’ while neglecting the other issues that will lead to the worsening of the present situation. Obama Administration officials don’t want to hear about sending forces to Yemen, saying they would rather deal with ‘terrorism.’ This won’t work.”
The main responsibility, however, lies upon Yemen’s government, headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Guzansky says: “If it doesn’t take action, particularly in light of the end of Yemen’s oil reserves and dwindling of its water reserves, the situation will deteriorate even further. But it appears that he’s only interested in nepotism. Democratization and other necessary reforms will apparently only occur under Western pressure.”