And now Yemen?

After the Christmas day failed terrorist attempt by a Nigerian who allegedly was trained in Yemen by al-Qaeda, talk about going against the terrorists in Yemen was something that many thought could happen. To the point that the Yemeni government had to warn Washington to learn the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan. Rashad al-Alimi, Yemen’s deputy prime minister for security and defense, warning that direct intervention by the United States will strengthen al-Qaeda, said: “We cannot accept any foreign troops on Yemeni territory.” Hopefully, the indication of the Yemeni government about their wanting to handle their security challenges without any direct foreign military help has been clear enough for the US and other governments like the UK who could have been inclined to intervene in combating al-Qaeda in Yemeni soil. No that any such intervention could have been possible. The US, with its military stretched thinly between Iraq and Afghanistan, could hardly contemplate a venture in the Arabian Peninsula where a joint Saudi-Yemeni movement of al-Qaeda, the AQAP, is growing due to the unpopularity and corruption of the weak Yemeni government. Finally, after admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said there would be no direct military intervention, the US is about to increase economical help for the Yemeni government which is highly unpopular and engaged in actual or potential civil wars. The possible result of this support is that the United States could be targeted as sponsor of the corrupt government by its many enemies.