Protestors demonstrate in Yemen after a raid against alleged al-Qaeda militants. Agence France-Presse
The New York Times has a new piece on the strengthening U.S.-Yemeni partnership:
American and Yemeni officials said that a pivotal point in the relationship was reached in late summer after separate secret visits to Yemen by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the American regional commander, and John O. Brennan, President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser.
President Saleh agreed to expanded overt and covert assistance in response to growing pressure from the United States and Yemen’s neighbors, notably Saudi Arabia, from which many Qaeda operatives had fled to Yemen, as well as a rising threat against the country’s political inner circle, the officials said.
But as we all know, the U.S. is largely incapable of keeping secrets. So, it seems like we're going to have another "covert war" with "secret drone attacks" that everyone knows about. The problem is that this is likely to undermine President Saleh in the same way that American support has undermined successive Pakistani leaders. Unfortunately, the main alternatives to covert war-- overt war or doing nothing-- are less appealing. This anonymous Yemeni official hits the nail on the head:
The airstrikes of the past two weeks have been successful but have come at a price, Yemeni officials said. “They have been hit hard, but they have not yet been disabled,” said one high-ranking Yemeni official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic issues involved. “The problem is that the involvement of the United States creates sympathy for Al Qaeda. The cooperation is necessary — but there is no doubt that it has an effect for the common man. He sympathizes with Al Qaeda.”
What is clear is that Obama has greatly expanded the role of covert warfare in America's battle against Islamic extremism.
American and Yemeni officials said that a pivotal point in the relationship was reached in late summer after separate secret visits to Yemen by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the American regional commander, and John O. Brennan, President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser.
President Saleh agreed to expanded overt and covert assistance in response to growing pressure from the United States and Yemen’s neighbors, notably Saudi Arabia, from which many Qaeda operatives had fled to Yemen, as well as a rising threat against the country’s political inner circle, the officials said.
But as we all know, the U.S. is largely incapable of keeping secrets. So, it seems like we're going to have another "covert war" with "secret drone attacks" that everyone knows about. The problem is that this is likely to undermine President Saleh in the same way that American support has undermined successive Pakistani leaders. Unfortunately, the main alternatives to covert war-- overt war or doing nothing-- are less appealing. This anonymous Yemeni official hits the nail on the head:
The airstrikes of the past two weeks have been successful but have come at a price, Yemeni officials said. “They have been hit hard, but they have not yet been disabled,” said one high-ranking Yemeni official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic issues involved. “The problem is that the involvement of the United States creates sympathy for Al Qaeda. The cooperation is necessary — but there is no doubt that it has an effect for the common man. He sympathizes with Al Qaeda.”
What is clear is that Obama has greatly expanded the role of covert warfare in America's battle against Islamic extremism.
Comments
AJ Schiera
12/28/2009 15:06
Hey Jon-- Awesome website! I'll try to remember to check back more often. Hope LSE's treating you well,
A.J. Schiera
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