Yemeni forces on Monday killed at least two al Qaeda militants they said were behind a threat which forced the U.S. and European embassies to shut as concerns grew about the impoverished Arab country's stability. The raid took place after the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound plane on Christmas Day thrust Yemen into the foreground of the U.S.-led war against Islamist militants. "Security authorities had been monitoring them for several days and struck today," a Yemeni security official told Reuters.
The raid took place after the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound plane on Christmas Day thrust Yemen into the foreground of the U.S.-led war against Islamist militants.
"Security authorities had been monitoring them for several days and struck today," a Yemeni security official told Reuters.
The failed underpants bomber's alleged (and in my view probable) ties to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have led to an outburst of calls to "do something" about Yemen. President Obama says it is a high priority to partner with the Yemeni government. British PM Gordon Brown calls for a global Yemen summit. Joe Lieberman warns that Yemen will be the next war. In fact, this risks becoming a classic case of massive overreaction playing right into the hands of a terrorist group. The Obama administration, which actually has been working on the Yemen issue all year, now risks falling right back into the classic catalog of Bush-era conceptual and practical mistakes as it scrambles for a response. To get Yemen right will require getting the complicated terrain of Yemeni and Gulf politics right -- not just looking for some kind of military intervention or an influx of foreign aid in order to be seen to have "done something", and not reducing it to an al-Qaeda or COIN problem.
seriously in such moments it's difficult not to sympathize with Obama - who else would want such job, to become grey haired in 12 months? However Mr Obama need not panic and keep his cool.
He already approved a list of stupid and fairly uneffective airline security measures further angering Muslims. Mr Obama should understand that playing into the hands of extremists he will only perpetuate this conflict and will make it unwinnable.
Mr Obama should understand that playing into the hands of extremists he will only perpetuate this conflict and will make it unwinnable.
Which is exactly what the military/industrial/Congressional/MSM empire wants along with the Chinese government. Hell of a team, don't you think? In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
In sum, the attack generated more expense (a nice return in red ink for a relatively small effort) even though it failed.NOTE: This is hilarious given the only thing that did work to stop the attack was (again) quick thinking/heroism on the part of the passengers on the flight. This implies that the real reason for all this 'action' is more about bolstering nation-state legitimacy (why do we spend all this money in taxes on these massive bureaucracies) than preventing attacks. Failure is interesting, as a strategy, because it doesn't require the necessary planning, funding, and training required for a potentially successful attack.
NOTE: This is hilarious given the only thing that did work to stop the attack was (again) quick thinking/heroism on the part of the passengers on the flight. This implies that the real reason for all this 'action' is more about bolstering nation-state legitimacy (why do we spend all this money in taxes on these massive bureaucracies) than preventing attacks.
Failure is interesting, as a strategy, because it doesn't require the necessary planning, funding, and training required for a potentially successful attack.
The Christmas Day bomb plot was very successful: it resulted in the closing of 5 embassies in Yemen!
