christo-f Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Moshin just defected, that probably means a civil war along similar lines to that of Libya. Moshin has the backing of KSA, the Houthis in the north are backed by Iran, there's a secessionist movement in the south along with a fairly strong AQ element. Should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 indeed. winds of change i hope, not just a breeze of dissent. ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shai Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've been meaning to talk to some of my Yemeni friends about this. From what I've heard/read/seen, Yemen is a place I'd like to visit someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcs Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 yemani architecture looks sweet. I don't understand how and why this has anything to do with America. Any of it. I know global instability is bad for the markets. Is that the real reason why we as so fast to get involved in international conflict? I know I'm not at all geopolitically savy. I do know that these types of things are expensive. Hundreds of millions of dollars. a month of this and I feel like they could rebuild Detroit. Make it look brand new and give everyone in the city a new car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well the US isn't militarily involved in this conflict. However the US has serious interests as there have been a number of failed and intercepted attempts by Al Qaeda of the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) launched from Yemen (off the top of my head they were the underwear bomber, the PE4 in the toner cartridges and and a few others). So the US has a very strong interest in not seeing Yemen turn to civil war or a failed state as it will become the new home of Al Qaeda Prime (AQP), keeping in mind that OBL is actually a Yemeni. Second, there is a tribe in the north called the Houthis, they live on the border of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They are Shiite as the rest of YEmen and KSA are Sunni. The Iranians have been arming and training them (along with sending Hizballah fighters, from what people say) to create unrest on the Arab PEninsula. So, Yemen turning in to a chaotic shitball risks throwing a bone to AQP and giving Iran a foothold from where they can target Riyadh. Both of these outcomes adversely affect US interests in the region according to the current strategic mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 My Arabic teacher was from Yemen, she spoke of it as a liberal stand out in the arab world, that there is a much greater ideal of tolerance and open-mindedness than is typical with muslim nations. sad to see it at this stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 ^also true of Turkey (which is why it will eventually be in the EU) i would love to visit some of these places, yemen looks amazing. sad that iran and palestine are pretty much no-goes for me at this point. i hope egypt gets it together, i really want to go back. christof, OBL is yemeni? i didn't know that. all official sources i can find confirm he's saudi. iran is a nice little shit-stirrer of a country aren't they? guess that's why we get along so famously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 the US propaganda machine never sleeps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunt sauce Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 the US propaganda machine never sleeps Speaking of propaganda (I don't want to stray off topic too much, but I didn't want to start a new thread for this): http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/18/headlines#9 Hit it at 9:50 "U.S. Develops Social Media Propaganda Software The Pentagon is developing software to secretly influence social media by developing fake online personas that can sway internet chatting on comment boards to reflect U.S. government propaganda. The Guardian of London reports a California-based firm has won a contract to create an "online persona management service" that would let military personnel control up to 10 separate fake identities at once. The identities would be used to respond to relevant online content with blog posts, tweets, chat comments and other forms of interaction. A military spokesperson said foreign audiences would be targeted, as it would be illegal to use the technology on U.S. citizens." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 i wish i'd paid more attention in pashtu class... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 ^also true of Turkey (which is why it will eventually be in the EU) i would love to visit some of these places, yemen looks amazing. sad that iran and palestine are pretty much no-goes for me at this point. i hope egypt gets it together, i really want to go back. christof, OBL is yemeni? i didn't know that. all official sources i can find confirm he's saudi. iran is a nice little shit-stirrer of a country aren't they? guess that's why we get along so famously. Ahh, not quite so true of Turkey right now. The AKP party has seriously undermined the military who were the guardians of the secular/Ataturk foundation of post-Ottoman Turkey. To look in to that search the key words of Sledgehammer and Gulenist. Also look at Turkey's recent diplomatic attacks on Israel, the IHH flotilla incident, etc. Turkey is making a very deliberate move away from secularism. the bin Laden family lived in KSA and made their fortune there but they are originally Yemeni. Also, Yemen is not at all a 'unified' country. You have a strong, violent secessionist movement in the south, AQAP has a strong base in the south as well and the Houthis in the north have held an armed resistance against Sanaa for years. Also, Moshin who is heading the over-throw of Saleh now is the Islamist old guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen X Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 While I don't doubt the veracity of the claim; I do have problem with the use of the word "secretly". The Pentagon is developing software to secretly influence social media by developing fake online personas that can sway internet chatting on comment boards to reflect U.S. government propaganda. Anyway, keep you eyes out for posters using phrases like "'Sup, guys? Heard the new rap CD?.. Yo, I don't know what I dig more, hip-hop, krunk, or serving my country." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 thx christof, i'll broaden my perspective. ...................... http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132511732578174.html Thousands in Yemen march against Saleh Crowds on the streets for protests dubbed a "day of departure" but president delivers a defiant speech to supporters. ....... "In some way, he is playing to some peoples' fears, that, after Saleh leaves, there will be some kind of military rule and that there are political aspirations behind the defections from the army - despite the fact that Ali Mohsen, the key general who defected earlier this week, has said very clearly that if he wanted to take power, he would have done so decades ago - and that he has no political aspirations," said Al Jazeera's reporter in Sanaa. "What the people really want to see is for a five-man presidential council to take control in the interim period, until elections can be held - because they simply don't believe that if elections are held under the current regime that they will be free and fair." ..... ... Defecting general General Ali Mohsen has thrown his weight behind the protesters and sent troops to protect pro-democracy protesters in Sanaa. He said the options before Saleh were now few, and criticised what he described as Saleh's "stubbornness", but said the armed forces were committed to protecting protesters. He also said military rule in Arab countries was outdated and that the people would decide who would govern them in the framework of a modern, civilian state. Mohsen, commander of the northwest military zone and Saleh's kinsman from the al-Ahmar clan, is the most senior military officer to back the protests, and his move on Monday triggered a stream of defections in the military and government, adding momentum to the opposition movement. Previous offer rejected On Thursday night, opposition groups dismissed Saleh's offer to stand down after a presidential election at the end of the year, stepping up efforts to remove him from power. Yassin Noman, head of Yemen's opposition coalition, dismissed Saleh's earlier offer as "empty words" and a spokesman said the umbrella coalition would not respond. "No dialogue and no initiatives for this dead regime," opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabry said on Thursday. Protesters are demanding a new constitution and the dissolution of parliament, local councils and the notorious state security agencies - as well as the immediate resignation of President Saleh. Saleh offered amnesty to defecting troops, calling their decisions "foolish acts", taken in reaction to last Friday's deaths. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132511732578174.html 25 March 2011 Last updated at 09:31 ET Yemen tense as capital Sanaa sees huge rival rallies Tens of thousands of people are attending rival mass rallies in Yemen's capital Sanaa, a week after some 50 people were shot dead at a protest. A correspondent BBC News, Sanaa Mr Saleh is clearly running out of things he can offer the opposition but he still has plenty of military might and he has vowed to protect himself. His speech on Friday was rather vague. He has offered to step down before, so it still looks like a stalemate. The Western concern is that any chaos could be exploited by al-Qaeda, which has a presence in Yemen. The opposition are calling the new rally a Friday of Departure but one student activist told me that Friday of Uncertainty would be more appropriate. .......... On Wednesday, Yemen's parliament passed sweeping emergency laws giving the security forces far-reaching powers to detain suspects and prevent demonstrations. Amnesty International responded on Friday by saying: "After the horrific killing of dozens of protesters last Friday, it is incredibly disturbing that Yemen's leaders have given the security forces more powers through a new emergency law instead of reining them in." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12857700 ............. * President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power since 1978 * Population 24.3m; land area 536,869 sq km * The population has a median age of 17.9, and a literacy rate of 61% * Youth unemployment is 15% * Gross national income per head was $1,060 (£655) in 2009 (World Bank) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUGR Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 christof, OBL is yemeni? i didn't know that. all official sources i can find confirm he's saudi. His dad is Yemeni and his mom is Syrian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 well, they did move to saudi arabia before he was born, though it was only shortly before he was born. and with his dad's ties to the saudi royal fam it seems they lived there and obl went to school there. and he spent summers in syria with his mom or something. but, not exactly a stretch that obl is saudi. just sayin. my friends who have parents who are immigrants are still american even though they spend time abroad.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 I'm not sure I can go with that Symbols. Using your rationale means I can no longer say that I come from beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen X Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 No, Syms is right, he's almost white bread Saudi by upbringining but his parentage goes back... it's like when I, among MANY other Americans, call myself 'Irish' by dint of the fact that 150 years ago someone we never met rolled through Ellis island. That said... when I graduated high school I was sent to Ireland for 6 weeks of 'terror'fying boot camp in the middle of fucking nowhere to monitor the sheep. rain, wind and the unchanging face of Croagh Patrick out my window... plus ride a bike 15k uphill to anywhere which was really nowhere but slightly civilized and they had a liquor store plus the (mostly) MOST chaste women in the entire hemisphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen X Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 oh, also... we ALL come from beer... dogs are wolves, wolves are bears, humans are beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Ah, my mistake then, I thought he was born in Yemen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen X Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 yeah, no really, I think that was just his dad... I think he was born on Rhyad (how do you spell that?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen X Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 ah yes, thx to Google... Riyadh, birthplace of OBL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 yep, born in saudi arabia to a wealthy fam gatdamn rich kids. hardy har har. it always makes me bristle when i hear americans claiming they are italian, or german or whatever. um, you don't speak the language. plus, i've been to europe enough to know that if i stood up in a cafe and shouted out my parentage as nationality i'd get spat upon. ha. ...... poor yemenis are having a tough time of it.. 28 March 2011 Last updated at 10:56 ET Yemen weapons factory hit by deadly explosions A series of huge explosions at an ammunition plant in southern Yemen has killed at least 78 people, doctors say. The factory in the town of Jaar was raided by Islamist militants on Sunday amid clashes with government forces. At the time of Monday's blasts residents were in the plant looting ammunition. The dead included women and children, officials said. Yemen has been rocked by weeks of protests calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. It is not clear what caused Monday's explosions, which could be heard 10 miles (15km) away. ......... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12881240 YEMEN: * Poorest country in the Middle East - 40% live on less than $2 a day * More than two-thirds of the population under the age of 24 * Illiteracy 50%, unemployment 40% * Dwindling oil reserves and falling oil revenues; little inward investment * Acute water shortage * Weak central government Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 YEah, when dudes were posting pics of Yemen before I was thinking to myself that what looks exotic and unique at a distance is going to be dirty, unhygienic and unattractive up close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christo-f Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 Looks like we're pretty much done here. Saleh just said Uncle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 RPG fired at the interior ministry i'm thinkin they mean business. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/24/yemen.unrest/index.html?hpt=T2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 looking more and more like this will be Al-Qaeda's country http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/06/yemen-gut-reality/?hpt=hp_c1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleazeside Heights Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 YEMEN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleazeside Heights Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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