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The State of Yemen

Dec 2009, Vol. 154, No. 6
By Alistair Harris and Michael Page

Yemen is increasingly caricatured as a failed state. Such analysis obscures a more complex picture that includes prevailing dynamics of secessionism, resource poverty, demographic change and ethno-sectarianism. Alistair Harris and Michael Page argue that a narrow focus on Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula is both analytically and practically unhelpful. Instead addressing the broader security concerns in the region could help create a coherent sense of nationhood that will in turn challenge Al-Qa’ida’s aspirations to increase its popularity and size in the country.