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2005-07-18 Arabia

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Posted by Steve White 2005-07-18 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1729 views since 2007-05-07] Top

1 At one point I tried to figure out Yemeni politics. Who's Sunni, Shiia, moderate, Islamic, socialist, pro-Western, etc. I ended up none the wiser and can shed no light on whether this is a good or bad development.

Posted by phil_b 2005-07-18 01:07|| 2005-07-18 01:07|| Front Page Top

2 Saleh's been in power since shortly after Caesar got drafted. He became president of North Yemen in 1978, after his predecessor was assassinated. He's oriented toward pan-Arabism. He reuinited North and South Yemen -- I can remember a few pictures of lopped off heads, drying in the sun from that period -- and he's had his problems with Islamists all the while. He decided to come on board with the war on terror shortly after 9-11, much to my surprise. I see him as neither a bad guy nor a good guy, just your average iron-fisted Arab dictator, though under his leadership the country does seem to have taken its penchant for brutal rebellion coupled with brutal suppression to the parliament. His (socialist-oriented) party has the largest bloc in parliament, and its main adversary is the Islamist Islah Party, which is headed by one of the Learned Elders of Islam.

Posted by Fred 2005-07-18 07:56|| 2005-07-18 07:56|| Front Page Top

3 Thanks Fred. So he's a pan-arab socialist, aka a Baathist.

Posted by phil_b 2005-07-18 08:10|| 2005-07-18 08:10|| Front Page Top

4 Except that Yemen also has a proper Nasserite party and a Baath party...

Posted by Fred 2005-07-18 11:19|| 2005-07-18 11:19|| Front Page Top

5 Yemen has always seemed a bit like the Arab Albania to me.

Posted by Mrs. Davis, nee uences 2005-07-18 11:36|| 2005-07-18 11:36|| Front Page Top

6 Stopped there for a day or so in 1965 as a kid. Scariest place I have ever been. Karachi is next on the list.

Then it was Aden just about to gain it's freedom from the UK and become "The People's Democratic Republic of South Yemen."

I remember images of torchlit mobs looking for British people. But, being 9 the memory might be a bit twisted... That said the knives every man wore were rather much.

Posted by 3dc 2005-07-18 15:28|| 2005-07-18 15:28|| Front Page Top

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