Saving Yemen From Itself
<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alon-benmeir> Alon Ben-Meir
Senior Fellow, NYU's Center for Global Affairs
Posted: 09/13/2012 10:33 am
Yemen as a nation has gone through dramatic turmoil brought about by
internal violent conflicts occurring over the last several decades. The
forced resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh (replaced by Vice
President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi) in February, along with the
<
http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/main/2011/12/08/feature-0
2> formation of a transitional unity government, has had little effect on
the fundamental issues that bear down on Yemen. Although recent
<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19490498> efforts made by the
Saudi government to raise billions of dollars geared toward the development
of Yemen is a welcome sign, there is little assurance that these funds will
in fact stabilize the situation and save the country from itself, unless the
money is delivered and invested wisely.
Yemen's internal conditions are and have been
<
http://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CAP/2012_Yemen_HRP.pdf> dismal for
decades, with nearly ten million citizens
<
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2012-07-19/yemen-food-crisis
-people-left-without-aid-funding-fails-arrive> deprived of basic
necessities, close to one million children
<
http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/yemen-crisis-deepens-humanita
rians-stand-ready-deliver> affected by acute malnutrition and a
<
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/29/us-yemen-aid-idUSBRE87S14Q2012082
9> startling 50 percent unemployment rate. The media in and outside of Yemen
has scarcely reported on this dire situation, choosing instead to focus on
major violent incidents committed by al Qaeda and other extremist militia in
the Arabian Peninsula (yet only to the extent that they affected neighboring
Arab countries or the United States). Moreover, despite the political
changes, it has and continues to be extremely difficult to assess what is
really taking place on the ground, and the situation remains murky at best.
While the
<
http://www.peaceandjusticeinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Yemeni-
draft-Transitional-Justice-Law.pdf> law establishing the transitional
government was lofty in content, it has had little effect on the day-to-day
life of ordinary Yemenites.
The lamentable lack of attention to Yemen was also precipitated by the
country's marginal political influence both regionally and certainly within
the international arena. Although in the latest meetings in Riyadh
international
<
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/sep/06/money-yemen-humani
tarian-crisis?newsfeed=true> donors pledged $6.4 billion for Yemen's
development and security, these funds may still meet the fate of
<
http://www.voanews.com/content/friends_of_yemen_pledge_4_billion_in_aid/940
066.html> earlier monetary pledges made this past May, much of which was
either not delivered or was largely misappropriated with little effect on
changing the quo. Successive governments in Yemen under the deposed
President Saleh's 33-year reign were plagued by rampant corruption and
patronage which continues unabated to this day, particularly since many of
the same corrupt officials continue to hold the same position they held in
the previous government.
Assuming that much of the money pledged in May (and more recently) is
finding its way to the Yemeni treasury, the paramount concern remains how
best to utilize these funds in order to prevent Yemen from becoming a failed
state, if it has not already. To begin with, some of these funds must go
toward improving the security conditions throughout the country. As long as
al Qaeda and other militant Islamist groups continue to violently undermine
and sabotage any efforts to rebuild Yemen as a state, developing a lasting
peace will remain on the wishful list. For the security forces to become
effective, money in and of itself will not suffice to improve the overall
security vacuum. External advisers and trainers from some regional states
and forces such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and the U.S. should devote
time, energy and resources to train Yemen's internal security forces,
improve intelligence and provide these forces with proper military hardware
to deal with the insurgency and systematically disrupt and eventually
prevent al Qaeda from operating almost freely throughout the Arabian
Peninsula.
Moreover, a significant portion of these funds should be channeled toward
the development of crucial infrastructure such as roads, schools and medical
clinics. Although these projects should be undertaken by the government,
they must nevertheless be supervised by representatives of the donor
countries. These states, specifically Saudi Arabia, ought to ensure that
these funds are not squandered by corrupt officials and, however critical
the internal security may be, the development of the infrastructure cannot
wait until all security requirements are fully met. To have the most effect,
the funds should be divided into installments. Before providing the second
installment, Yemeni authorities must demonstrate that the initial payment
has been utilized for what was intended by providing accountability and
transparency.
In addition to security and infrastructure, sustainable participatory
development
<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alon-benmeir/sustainable-economic-deve_b_1696
036.html#es_share_ended> projects should receive special attention. Although
building infrastructure and institutions necessary to create jobs and
improve the overall quality of life remains the purview of the government,
empowering ordinary citizens through sustainable development should attain
top priority. Sustainable economic development invariably creates wealth
both for the communities that adopt such projects and for the state
treasury, which can generate more income through increased tax revenues. In
turn these funds (taxes) can be used toward improving the social safety net
and the overall health of the economy. The great benefit in engaging in
sustainable development is that small communities are empowered to
collectively decide through advice and consent on projects of their choice,
from which they can benefit while the principles of democratic culture are
simultaneously fostered. It is worthy to note that such projects require
limited capital and do not necessitate infusion of new capital and advanced
technology. In fact, ten percent of the money pledged ($650 million) could
provide more than one million Yemenites a decent living and restore their
basic human rights while fostering democratic principles.
It must be noted that none of the three objectives should take preference
over the others; improving security, building new infrastructure and
implementing sustainable development projects all need to be tackled
concurrently. In the interim, an emergency supply of food, medical aid and
other necessary provisions must be rushed to despondent families to save the
lives of nearly one million who are on the verge of dying from malnutrition,
particularly women and children.
Saudi Arabia is an extremely important player in regards to what is
happening in Yemen. First, many of the terrorist activities that have
occurred in Saudi Arabia were traced to Yemeni citizens largely instigated
by al Qaeda. Secondly, due to Saudi Arabia's proximity to Yemen,
particularly their shared eastern border where a large Shiite concentration
and many oil deposits are located, Saudi Arabia has every interest in
ensuring Yemen's stability which informs their
<
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/04/236000.html> substantial
contributions of three billion dollars at so-called "Friends of Yemen"
meetings in Riyadh. Third, should Yemen become a failed state, Saudi Arabia
will be directly affected by the threats of mass refugees and a terrorist
infiltration that will permeate the entire Gulf region.
The current reconciliation government must ensure that it is representative
of all segments of Yemeni society and in particular must seek, with the
support of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries, a dialogue with the
Houthi
<
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/27/yemen_s_houthi_movement_a
nd_the_revolution> movement, which controls significant portions of northern
Yemen. Although the conflict between this tribe and the central government
goes back many decades, it is nearly impossible to stabilize Yemen without
finding a peaceful settlement with the secessionist groups who have
established their own autonomous zone.
By providing funds, however important and critical they may be to addressing
Yemen's malaise, the efforts to save the country must remain an Arab
enterprise. That said, only the Yemeni people, with the helping hand of the
international community, can pull the country back from the brink of an
increasingly imminent disaster.
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Received on Thu Sep 13 2012 - 09:29:46 EDT
