After the 1994 civil war and annexation by the Saleh government, the last vestiges of South Yemen ceased to exist. Over 20 years later, the region’s lingering desire for independence seems to be getting an opportunity to reassert itself.
For years, attempts to hold secessionist rallies in the former southern capital of Aden have been met violently by the Sanaa-based government, whether by Saleh or his successor, President Hadi. With Hadi’s resignation last week, Sanaa’s ability to crush such public expression of opposition is limited, to say the least.
Even the security forces who normally carried out the orders of the governments are now saying they won’t be receiving any orders out of Sanaa. It’s not a complete shock, there’s no one to send such orders, after all.
Yemen seems to be splintering along several fronts now, with the northern Houthi rebels controlling the capital and most of the west coast, while al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and various tribal factions hold much of the inner territory. Aden and the core of South Yemen, however, seems to be up for grabs.
Yemen has always been two countries separated by a desert, and they fought over the desert's meager resources.
The British built up the city of Aden as a base on their way to India, and played those two countries off against each other to keep their base safe. Every deal they made with either one was to safeguard the base.
As colonialism fell apart, Aden became a hotbed of independence, which was fertile ground for "communists." As the British pulled out, they and the Americans reversed their long-time strategy, and allied themselves with the backcountry against the commies of Aden who had rejected them.
The West found itself on the side of the most backward parts of the two backcountry regions that had been kept independent of each other. They try to unite those two as a method to control Aden, to submerge it in an artificial country. The result is a three-sided conflict, plus some troublesome independents out in the desert between who never wanted anything to do with any of them.
That is the "country" we are trying to "save." It is long past time that it was any use to us. We no longer care about Aden, communists there, or either of the Yemen regions, or the desert between them. Yet we try to stay with the strategy we created to manage them as one, meant to keep down those who no longer threaten us.
We should leave them alone. Get out. Let them be two or three or four countries in their own way. There is nothing there that matters to us, not in the least.
Mark, thank you (and Ditz) for explaining the history of this situation in Yemen.
Although I was not familiar with the historical geopolitics of this particular country in anywhere near the detail that you explained it, I do believe that this particular example not only provides a good reason to do what you recommend, "We should leave them alone. Get out. Let them be two or three or four countries in their own way" — but that this also underscores a meta-problem that we are now facing in this new third millennium.
The impact of Empire over the last two millennia (or since Christ non-violently confronted the Roman Empire) has been one of the cancer of Empire evolving in the nature of its sway over men, and in the 'big tools', such as myth, magic, mystery, militarism, religion, political structure, hierarchy, fundamentalism, technology, tribalism, nationalism, media, economic ideology, and particularly 'disguise', et al. which Empire has learned to manipulate and leverage to its benefit.
All of the various external Empires, including the most recent British, and now American HQed Disguised Global Capitalist Empire, which Ditz (and you more explicitly) note have greatly impacted the people of this are of the world called Yemen (and perhaps soon Yemen and South Yemen).
While the impact of Empire(s) on these people over what might be called modern history can be viewed in some respects as positive and others as negative, the impacts of Empire(s) have been effected by external and hierarchical power structures called Empire.
As you, more than Ditz, have noted, such impacts of Empire(s) are long lasting, but may hopefully be reversed (or simply changed) by the people of any area of the world form having been externally imposed by Empire, to being 'selected' or chosen by the people of any particular area, country, culture, belief, or internally 'reasoned' sociopolitical structure.
Thus, this third millennia, and many of the varied 'symptom problems', that are becoming more noticeable today might more broadly viewed as a potentially 'Great Unwinding' of history from a long era (and error) of the centralized and hierarchical power of Empire dictating our human direction, to one where a far broader and more representative array of mankind openly chose their future to the benefit of the people rather than the elite of Empire(s) either visible or disguised.
Mark, thank you (and Jason Ditz) for explaining the history of this situation in Yemen.
Although I was not familiar with the historical geopolitics of this particular country in anywhere near the detail that you explained it, I do believe that this particular example not only provides a good reason to do what you recommend, "We should leave them alone. Get out. Let them be two or three or four countries in their own way" — but that this also underscores a meta-problem (and hopefully an "opportunity") that we are now facing in this new third millennium.
The impact of Empire over the last two millennia (or since Christ non-violently confronted the Roman Empire) has been one of the cancer of Empire evolving in the nature of its sway over men, and in the 'big tools', such as myth, magic, mystery, militarism, religion, political structure, hierarchy, fundamentalism, technology, tribalism, nationalism, media, economic ideology, and particularly 'disguise', et al. which Empire has learned to manipulate and leverage to its benefit.
All of the various external Empires, including the most recent British, and now American HQed Disguised Global Capitalist Empire, which Ditz (and you more explicitly) note have greatly impacted the people of this area of the world called Yemen (and perhaps soon Yemen and South Yemen).
While the impact of Empire(s) on these people over what might be called modern history can be viewed in some respects as positive and others as negative, the impacts of Empire(s) have been effected by external and hierarchical power structures called Empires.
As you, more than Ditz, have noted, such impacts of Empire(s) are long lasting, but may hopefully be reversed (or simply changed) by the people of any area of the world from having been externally imposed by Empire, to being 'selected' or chosen by the people of any particular area, country, culture, belief, or internally 'reasoned' sociopolitical structure.
Thus, this third millennia, and many of the varied 'symptom problems' (or opportunities), that are becoming more noticeable all over the world today might more broadly be viewed as a potential 'Great Unwinding' of history from a long era (and error) of the centralized and hierarchical power of Empire dictating our human direction, to one where a far broader and more representative array of mankind openly chose their future to the benefit of the people rather than the elite of Empires either visible or disguised.
However, today, and now that multiple Empires have been integrated in our post-nation-state 21st century into and highly integrated (but well hidden) and singular sic-sectored; corporate, financial, militarist, media/propaganda, extra-legal, and dual-party Vichy-political Disguised Global Capitalist Empire, the greatest ploy and weapon of this single, signal, seminal Global Empire is its skill at disguise, camouflage, and guile — which of course are also the greatest skills of all predators, parasites, and most notably cancer — but such disguise of the disease of this Empire which now accounts for all “our ailing social order” (and all 'symptom problems' like; wars, looting, massive inequality, spying, tyranny, et al.) must be properly or “adequately” diagnosed:
As Zygmunt Bauman hauntingly puts it, “In the case of an ailing social order, the absence of an adequate diagnosis…is a crucial, perhaps decisive, part of the disease.”13
Berman, Morris (2011-02-07). Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire (p. 22). Norton. Kindle Edition.
Yemen was never a poor country in any REAL sense. In our money-measured world, it is classified as poor. However, the highlands of Yemen were since Roman times called Arabia Felix, for its extraordinary altitude determined climate, underground water resources, and a tail end of Indian Ocean monsoon-generated rain season. It has an old agricultural culture that provided amply for itself. They have DEFINITELY not been fighting for the meager desert resources. The Yemen in the highlands, extending mostly Westward towards the port of Hoddeidah was always Shia, while Southwest — the inheritor of the Sinbad the Sailor era, became fairly typical confederation of regional sultanates or emirates. North lived of agriculture, and the export of grapes, fruit, nuts and coffee, while South lived of trade with Africa, export of dates, fishing and and limited agriculture. Fighting over the desert areas is an ENTIRELY NEW PHENOMENA, WITH THE DISCOVERY OF OIL.
Both North and South were essentially confederations of regional rulers. We call them "tribes" but it just reflects our ignorance. They have always lived in smaller local organizations, ruled by a hereditary families much in the manner of European noblemen in say — pre-unification Germany. That is, much of of central Europe still lived this way until just before WWI.
Yemen has a chance to return to that state. If they do it right — which will not be easy as foreign powers do not like their plans being messed up by local wishes. Namely, we have egg-heads that make their living explaining how Bab-al-Mandeb is critical to the control of Red Sea. May be. But in todays quaint geopolitical notions are as useful as castles were after the invention of cannon.
Yemen has an advantage, most modern humans do not. They have maintained their local economies, and the central government did not manage to enslave population with debt. Yes, in large cities, like Sana'a, or Ta'iz. But the country as a whole, relies on local economies, local social service customs and legal order. Today's north Yemen rural areas have better nutrition then our own urban population. It is very troublesome that today's western world wants to see the world of gray barracks, uniform in neoliberal economics, poor urban populations, and desperate central governments under the thumb of IMF. Yemen actually has a chance to escape.
And what about Al-Qaeda? Any of them that are local, will participate in their local movements, as Sunni South will attract people to the secession. As for the rest of "Al-Qaeda"? Let them go back to the sender, their Saudi financiers. They were never for real — except to help foreign power in stirring up local conflicts. Why did Yemeni Al-Qaeda claim ownership of Paris murders? To give their sponsors moral right to interfere in Yemen affairs. How transparent — and how stupid. Yes, drones can keep on droning and killing villagers, weddings and funerals. But it cannot affect the situation on ground, unless it finds a way to bribe a few Southern emirs to torpedo the Southern plan of independence. No such opportunity in the North, in spite of already well known NGO groups to stage protests. But they have a problem — it is not resonating with anyone. Money just thrown away — but it will help feed some hungry Sana'a urban intellectuals for rent.
thank you for the posting but the trouble is the outside interests will not let this happen while being helped by a faction of the urbanised population who have tasted or hope to taste the good life which the agricultural society will not be able to provide.
Correct, but.
Yemen's two regions have in the past been very fine places to live, but to live there by farming the water resources limit them to smaller numbers of people. They have never done anything to move away from farming.
They have so overdrawn on the water supplies they have damaged that supply. Plus, an important part of the water supply is seasonal storms saved by human efforts in reservoirs, and the lack of government has allowed those to deteriorate. They have less water even as they need more water for a bigger population.
The desert between them has spots that are watered, it has many that depend on the now damaged reservoirs for seasonal rains, and others that are sometimes watered over longer climate cycles, and it has other resources. It is not rich, but whichever region is stronger has always tried to expand out into it, opposed by the other region assisting the locals who resist both. It is just enough to keep conflict going, even if not enough to make anyone rich. It is part of the balance of power, part of the ongoing fighting.
Root cause of war — Class slavery
Truth is a self-evident fact and for a truth and for a fact, since the beginning of civilization there has never been a government of men that stopped the upper half of society from enslaving the laboring-class lower half.
Democracy for example, just a smokescreen that enables the upper half to hoard all the wealth, just a smokescreen to keep laboring men enslaved by poverty, just a smokescreen so that officers of the upper half can be glorified by war as laboring-men do 95% of the bleeding and dying.
Yes, John, you are precisely correct — that so-called democracy as it exists today in what many still call 'our country' is not only a "smokescreen", as you say, but a smokescreen, disguise, camouflage, mask, etc. of this Disguised Global Capitalist EMPIRE, which has 'captured' and now almost fully "Occupies" our former country as its nominal HQ of many other aligned former countries mistakenly called democracies, and of the multitude of transnational organizations and corporations that together constitute the cancer of global Empire:
"The U.S. state is a key point of condensation for pressures from dominant groups around the world to resolve problems of global capitalism and to secure the legitimacy of the system overall. In this regard, “U.S.” imperialism refers to the use by transnational elites of the U.S. state apparatus to continue to attempt to expand, defend, and stabilize the global capitalist system. We are witness less to a “U.S.” imperialism per se than to a global capitalist imperialism. We face an EMPIRE of global capital, headquartered, for evident historical reasons, in Washington." [caps added]
Robinson, William I. (2014-07-31). Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity (p. 122). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.
Endgame response to Karl Rove/1% ‘We’re an Empire creating our own reality for you to study’: Study’s over – you’re under arrest June 27, 2014 by Carl Herman
Three weeks before W. Bush’s election for a second term in 2004, his Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, chided Pulitzer-winning journalist, Ron Suskind. Rove said
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/06/endgame-re…
Washington, that's a fantastically revealing quote form Ron Suskind's book — only rivaled by Mittens 'Private Equity Pirate' Romney's secretly recorded campaign promise to, "not give a shit about 47% of Americans".
I'm thinking that I could make a bundle with "Fuck the 47% says Romney" bumper stickers for the 2016 campaign.
Does this fucking elitist dolt not realize that if he has the arrogance to run in 2016 that things like such a bumper sticker will continually drag his sorry arse through the streets??
Only one problem here MacDonald they are one in the same on everything, and every issue.
Are Romney and Obama the same on most issues? Try, ALL ISSUES.