The phrase “ishaab ureed isqat al-nizam “ has rung out across the Middle East for the last couple of months. This means, “the people want the fall of the regime.”
The countries striving for dramatic change have been emboldened on the front pages of newspapers, magazines and broadcasts across the globe.
The latest country to join the chaos is Yemen. In a report by The Washington Post, in light of rising death tolls, President Ali Abdullah Saleh as of Friday has restricted communications and Yemeni citizens’ civil rights, declaring a state of emergency.
Although they are seemingly united by the regime headed by Saleh — North and South Yemen joined forces in 1990 — they suffer from numerous disparities.
Ages old Sunni and Shiite tensions are present.
To set matters at a boil, a resilient al-Qaeda presence is strong in Yemen compared to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. U.S. aid has supported Yemen’s efforts to offset the terrorist groups, to little avail. Teeming regional differences produce viewpoints that rarely ever match up.
Alongside that, according to a report by Time magazine, Yemen is incredibly impoverished. Yemen does not have the blessing of plentiful oil and gas reserves like its neighbors. Families often seek work from bordering countries, and beggars are plentiful.
Seventy-four percent of the population in the country is under 30 years old and 50 percent of that group are unemployed and aren’t attending school, Time also reported.
Yemen likewise is synonymous with corruption. With an onslaught of varying belief systems, President Saleh trusts few, only his closest advisers and family members.
The taxpayer dollars that should be funding the demise of al-Qaeda are often doled out to Saleh’s son and nephews.
The small Middle Eastern country has promising potential. If given the chance it could develop a thriving tourism industry. The city is relatively safe and it has cooler temperatures and handsome scenery.
Its qualms and beauty aside, Yemeni voices are being quashed and the sentiment of this realization is hard to gauge. Young men and women want to be rid of the regime while fears mount over whether this will affect al-Qaeda’s influence if Saleh were to be ousted. Not only that, but to support this revolution would be to support the deep rift between Sunni and Shiite believers.
The understanding behind these hesitations is that they arise from a Western standpoint, a defense of interests that extend beyond Yemeni soil.
In reality, the natives will rally directly, and will also directly feel its effects. Should we not measure immediate consequences based upon this realization?
Contrary to belief, the revolution could encourage Yemen to find a happy medium on their offset society.
In an interview he conducted of Oxford University’s director of the Middle East Center, Eugene Rogan told Time, “Arabs have been inspired by the example of fellow Arabs. What matters in the Arab world matters to the Arabs.”
Although plastered on our news sources across the U.S., the situation in the Middle East is more prominent in the Middle East.
Reach Brittany at bemorri1@asu.edu
