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Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-CT: “Iraq was yesterday’s war, Afghanistan is today’s war, if we don’t act preemptively, Yemen will be tomorrow’s war.”
Al Qaeda has taken responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Flight 253 bound for Detroit, and the bomber has claimed he was trained and armed in the Arab state of Yemen.
That threw the relatively unknown nation into the global spotlight. While its oil reserves are declining, it still sits along a major oil traffic way. Among the issues at hand: why is Yemen a breeding ground for terrorism, and what should the U.S. do to address the threat?
We’re looking at perspectives from CBS News, CBN News, Russia Today, CNN, and FOX News.
CBS News gives an introduction to al Qaeda’s presence in Yemen.
“It’s an increasingly powerful, increasingly dangerous organization beyond the control of Yemen’s beleagured government. Yemen is fighting two wars, a civil war in the north, and one against al Qaeda. 'For many years now al Qaeda’s had a presence in the Yemen. Obviously the internal conflict and instability there give it an operating base and a training base, and we’ve seen just how dangerous this can be.”
CBN News talks to a spokesman for the Yemen Embassy, who says al Qaeda is able to radicalize the people of Yemen because of how poor they are.
“Yemen, 70 percent is under the age of 25. 40 percent live under poverty line. From that 40 percent, 20 percent live under $1 a day. With all these factors, it’s very challenging for the government to face the radicalization.”
But an investigative journalist tells Russia Today that there’s a different explanation for al Qaeda’s strength in Yemen--American political manipulation.
“According to Iranian sources, Senator McCain and Congresswoman Harman have been in Yemen recently with the intent to build up al Qaeda. Al Qaeda functioning, as always, as the CIA Arab Islamic legion. The connection here is that they’re trying to build up a presence of al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula- a creation wholly of the U.S. intelligence agencies- so that they can play Saudi Arabia against Iran and fight against both.”
The Obama administration’s publicly stated goal has been to defeat al Qaeda wherever it exists. So what’s the best way to achieve that in Yemen?
A professor of Middle East politics tells CNN the United States needs to focus on fixing Yemen, not just attacking al Qaeda.
“You need inclusive government, you need to deal with the pervasive corruption, you need to find political formulas for the divisions that exist. This is not just al Qaeda, al Qaeda is a by-product of the deep social and political crisis that exists in Yemen... And again, this is not a counter-terrorism question. This is a social, political and economic crisis, and the United States the international community must take a long-term view not just a short-term.”
But a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia tells FOX News the U.S. needs to invest more in counter-terrorism efforts.
“The reports are that we’ve committed $70 million to help them with intelligence and drone aircraft... I think we’re going to have to put more money into it, more intelligence support, and probably also gather the support of the neighbors, the Saudis especially have a vested interest in a stable Yemen. I think we’re going to have to make sure they step up to the plate as well.”
So what do you think the U.S. and the international community should do about al Qaeda’s presence in Yemen?
Writer: Lee Morehouse
Producer: Nathan Giannini
