A new forum for Yemeni voices

Ginny Hill

Yemen is a fragile state, not a failed state. The distinction is a crucial one, because the diagnosis affects the response. When I published the first edition of my Chatham House paper Yemen: Fear of Failure in 2008, I chose my words carefully. I described Yemen as an increasingly fragile, incomplete state that confronts multiple internal challenges. I called for commitment to reform, strategic long-term vision and support from the international community.

To mark the launch of a new 18-month project on Yemen, Chatham House has printed an updated version of my briefing paper, with a summary of events during 2009. In the last two years, internal tensions in Yemen have risen. The conflict in Saada has resumed with the most intense fighting to date, southern separatists have openly called for independence, and al-Qaeda has grown in strength and global reach. Parliamentary elections scheduled for 2009 are on hold until 2011.

Yemen’s neighbours and Western donors are meeting in London [on Wednesday] to discuss the growing threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The international spotlight is focused on immediate concerns about terrorist networks in Yemen but Yemen’s current security challenges are a symptom of much deeper problems. The West now needs to embed counter-terrorism measures within a comprehensive ‘whole of government’ approach that seeks to prevent state collapse and establishes a longer-term framework to support the country in its transition to a post-oil economy. The West needs to work in close partnership with Yemen’s decision-makers and civil society, but Yemen’s political world is complex and unique. It can be hard for outsiders to perceive the subtle and crucial distinctions that Yemenis themselves see with such perfect clarity. On Tuesday 26 January, on the eve of the London meeting, Chatham House is launching a new Yemen Forum with a talk by His Excellency Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi titled ‘Yemen’s Future: The Road Towards Stability and Development’.During the course of our 18-month project, Chatham House wants to stimulate informed debate about Yemen’s future. We want offer a platform to a range of Yemeni voices, giving Yemenis a chance to convince donors and foreign diplomats of the right stance to adopt to ensure their security and well-being. We will also seek to build regional and international consensus around the urgent need to address Yemen’s converging challenges. Otherwise, Yemen may fail as a state, and the international community will also be guilty of failure.

Ginny Hill is an associate fellow at Chatham House, where she runs the Yemen Forum

 

yemenforum@chathamhouse.org.uk

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