It took extra time to decide the newest Gulf Cup champion but when the dust settled (and there's a lot of dust in Yemen), Kuwait was victorious 1-0 over Saudi Arabia. This is the tenth time Kuwait has won the tournament out of 20 tournaments played. (I finally learned where the 20 in Gulf 20 came from). That's utter dominance considering the first tournament was held in 1970! Who knew, right?
Highlights from the game include the only goal scored and the yellow card the goal scorer received for taking off his shirt while celebrating. Oh the scandal. The card might have been for excessive celebration but it's funnier this way.
Most Yemenis I talked with wanted Kuwait to win. Saudi Arabia was not in the good graces of their hosts after the 4-0 drubbing they gave to the Yemen squad. In the true style of two countries with deep pockets, I heard both countries tried paying Yemen fans to wave their flags at the match. I wish I had known. I'm a fully qualified and trained flag waver. Sign me up.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Trouble in Paradise
An article on Yemen has surfaced among the many articles coming out of the recent US diplomatic cable disclosure. The link to the Times article here
The article focuses on the role of the Yemen president in shaping US and western policy toward the country.
The article goes on to describe how the president uses the potential threat of terrorist strikes on western targets by Al-Qaeda to attract military and development aid. He seems to be playing the role of ally but what else could explain that behavior?
1. Saleh is a survivor. You don't stay in power of the poorest Arab country for 26 years by following the rules and certainly not by practicing democracy. The patronage system that permits him to stay in power is likely fragile and would fracture, causing instability, if the president could no longer supply it.
2. Al Qaeda is more a threat to Yemen than it is to the US. I have not read their mission statement but Al Qaeda in Yemen is more angry at Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government than they are at the US. Attacks on Yemen targets do not receive the same spotlight though thus that element is easily lost. By making AQAP the US's problem, Yemen receives fancy war toys that it can use on whom ever it wants.
3. Of the domestic insurrections facing the president, AQAP is not the most threatening. He has been fighting the Houti rebels along the Saudi Arabian border for the past couple summers and is also dealing with an increasingly rebellious south that threatens succession. Shrewdly, Saleh lumps AQAP and the southern movement into one threat justifying a hard hand in the south. While there is no denying that terrorism is a threat from Yemen and to Yemen, the Yemeni government inflates the threat of terrorism and gives little attention to the more serious threats of water depletion in the capital and the country's addiction to qat. With some probability will terrorism bring down Yemen but with a higher probability will lack of water and economic stagnation bring about trouble.
In terms of attracting foreign aid, it seems the Yemeni government is playing the tune the donors want to hear: terrorism. We must ask though if 'fighting' terrorism in Yemen is the right treatment. I see it as giving aspirin to a patient with a broken arm. You may relive the pain temporarily but the pain will return. Eventually, if the break, the source of the pain, is not addressed, the bone begins to set and even more drastic action is needed to set things right. Now, that example is not perfect. Western governments should not think of themselves as diplomatic doctors with the power to solve developing country issues but to the extent that terrorism is more a symptom of underlying imbalances and grievances than it is the broken bone itself, then the US and others have a responsibility to not continue offering pain killers if that distracts from the necessary course of action.
The article focuses on the role of the Yemen president in shaping US and western policy toward the country.
“Referencing the high poverty rate and illicit arms flows into both Yemen and Somalia, Saleh concluded by saying, ‘If you don’t help, this country will become worse than Somalia,’ ” said a September 2009 cable from the American ambassador, Stephen A. Seche, describing Mr. Saleh as being in “vintage form.”
The article goes on to describe how the president uses the potential threat of terrorist strikes on western targets by Al-Qaeda to attract military and development aid. He seems to be playing the role of ally but what else could explain that behavior?
1. Saleh is a survivor. You don't stay in power of the poorest Arab country for 26 years by following the rules and certainly not by practicing democracy. The patronage system that permits him to stay in power is likely fragile and would fracture, causing instability, if the president could no longer supply it.
2. Al Qaeda is more a threat to Yemen than it is to the US. I have not read their mission statement but Al Qaeda in Yemen is more angry at Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government than they are at the US. Attacks on Yemen targets do not receive the same spotlight though thus that element is easily lost. By making AQAP the US's problem, Yemen receives fancy war toys that it can use on whom ever it wants.
3. Of the domestic insurrections facing the president, AQAP is not the most threatening. He has been fighting the Houti rebels along the Saudi Arabian border for the past couple summers and is also dealing with an increasingly rebellious south that threatens succession. Shrewdly, Saleh lumps AQAP and the southern movement into one threat justifying a hard hand in the south. While there is no denying that terrorism is a threat from Yemen and to Yemen, the Yemeni government inflates the threat of terrorism and gives little attention to the more serious threats of water depletion in the capital and the country's addiction to qat. With some probability will terrorism bring down Yemen but with a higher probability will lack of water and economic stagnation bring about trouble.
In terms of attracting foreign aid, it seems the Yemeni government is playing the tune the donors want to hear: terrorism. We must ask though if 'fighting' terrorism in Yemen is the right treatment. I see it as giving aspirin to a patient with a broken arm. You may relive the pain temporarily but the pain will return. Eventually, if the break, the source of the pain, is not addressed, the bone begins to set and even more drastic action is needed to set things right. Now, that example is not perfect. Western governments should not think of themselves as diplomatic doctors with the power to solve developing country issues but to the extent that terrorism is more a symptom of underlying imbalances and grievances than it is the broken bone itself, then the US and others have a responsibility to not continue offering pain killers if that distracts from the necessary course of action.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wait, we lost?
Fifa just announced it selection for the nations to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Russia will host in 2018 and Qatar will host in 2022. Qatar and neighboring Arab nations are understandably extremely excited. Qatar will be the first Arab nation to host the World Cup and the first country in the Middle East. Russia, on its part, will be the first eastern European nation to host the event.
Al-Jazeera is currently running lead articles with the titles to the effect of "Britain jealous of Qatar" and "America cries over loss in World Cup bid."
Question: Is anyone in the US even aware that we are bidding to host the World Cup? No? Hm. I didn't think so.
The photos on the Al-Jazeera website showed joyous crowds in Qatar celebrating the announcement. I agree, it is an exciting time for Qatar and I'm sure they will be ready come 2022. Twelve years is a long time though. Teachers with classes of six to ten year olds should start taking names. They're instructing the age group that will get a free pass to the biggest football stage.
Al-Jazeera is currently running lead articles with the titles to the effect of "Britain jealous of Qatar" and "America cries over loss in World Cup bid."
Question: Is anyone in the US even aware that we are bidding to host the World Cup? No? Hm. I didn't think so.
The photos on the Al-Jazeera website showed joyous crowds in Qatar celebrating the announcement. I agree, it is an exciting time for Qatar and I'm sure they will be ready come 2022. Twelve years is a long time though. Teachers with classes of six to ten year olds should start taking names. They're instructing the age group that will get a free pass to the biggest football stage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)