Communism or Theocracy?

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Reuters: Women of southern Yemen port remember better times

ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Afrah Ali Said often recalls the days when she could go out with her family in just a shirt and trousers to enjoy a cool evening breeze on Aden's beaches.

That was two decades ago. She lived in what was then the socialist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. Many women's rights guaranteed by that southern state have been chipped away since it merged with the more conservative tribal north in 1990. ...read more.

It is easy to sympathize with South Yemeni secessionists. In the twentieth century, Communism in South Yemen, Nasser in Egypt, and the Shah in Iran were all terrible for their societies, but the new Islamism that replaced those bad ideas has not been an improvement.

Group C

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The first round of the World Cup is set. The 2010 World Cup draw was held on Friday in Cape Town, South Africa and the United States was drawn into Group C along with England, Algeria, and Slovenia. It is widely considered to be a favorable group for the Americans.

The Americans begin group play June 12 with an epic match against rival England.

June 12 - USA vs England in Rustenburg, South Africa
June 18 - USA vs Slovenia in Johannesburg, South Africa
June 23 - USA vs Algeria in Pretoria, South Africa

View the full World Cup groupings

The top two teams in each group advance to the second round. Winner of Group C will play runner-up of Group D (Germany, Serbia, Ghana, Australia). Runner-up of Group C plays winner of Group D.

Mark you calendars. Saturday, 12 June 2010 at 2:30 USA Eastern Time the United States is coming at England with its best. America's Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, and Oguchi Onyewu will take on England's Wayne Rooney, Steven Garrard, and John Terry. It figures to be one of the most highly anticipated matches of the first round.

Excited? Here are some of the best U.S. Soccer YouTube videos to get you pumped:

USA vs. Germany 2002 World Cup quarterfinal Highlights

USA defeats Spain 2-0 in the 2009 Confederations Cup

2006 World Cup USA vs Italy 1-1 draw

2002 World Cup USA defeats Mexico in the Second Round

US Soccer - Go Tell the World

The Prosperous Midwest

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From Live Science:

Rural America Surprisingly Prosperous, Study Finds
"A recent study found that much of rural America is actually prosperous, particularly in the Midwest and Plains.

"Researchers just had to look at things differently to see the prosperity.

"The study - announced today and based on date from the year 2000 - analyzed unemployment rates, poverty rates, high school drop-out rates, and housing conditions to identify prospering communities. The result: One in five rural counties in the United States is prosperous, doing better than the nation as a whole on all these measures. ...continued

Be sure to view the color-coded map of U.S. counties.

What one immediately notices from the map is the difference between rural counties in the Northern United States versus those in the South. My initial guess is that this is due to long-standing cultural and economic differences between North and South from the time different groups of immigrants settled different parts of the United States and adopted different economic models.

The Midwest was largely settled by educated New Englanders, and later German and Scandinavian farmers, while the South took in large numbers of illiterate Scotch Irish. The South also suffered for decades under a pre-industrial plantation economy and very little public education prior to Reconstruction.

One would need to make a closer examination of the data to determine whether the regional differences are completely cultural rather than economic. Many of the deep-red Midwestern and Plains counties are home to the most prosperous grain farms in the world. However, I would point out that the Mormon counties of Utah score high in the study while ethnic-minority majority counties in the west and deep south score low.

Southerners should not feel completely despondent to the results. Southern cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte have been among the most prosperous places in the country in recent decades while Midwestern industrial cities have famously suffered economically. But maybe for us Midwesterners, often forgotten and ignored, this study can provide some renewal of pride in our peaceful and honorable communities.

Right back at ya!

The Iraqi shoe thrower Muntazer al-Zaidi was on the receiving end of a thrown shoe at a press conference in Paris yesterday. The Paris shoe thrower was an Iraqi supporter of U.S. policies in Iraq. Be sure to watch the video.

From the London Telegraph:
Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist has shoe thrown at him [Telegraph]

"Muntader al-Zaidi's footwear assault on President Bush last December became a symbol of Iraqi anger against "the occupier". But during Mr Zaidi's press conference yesterday to promote his campaign for the "victims of the US occupation in Iraq", a fellow Iraqi critic turned the tables on him, shouting: "Here's another shoe for you".

Before throwing the shoe, the man made a brief speech in Arabic, defending US policy and accusing Mr Zaidi of "working for dictatorship in Iraq". ...continued

Muntazer al-Zaidi is destined to go down in history as just another populist fool. Despite some high-profile terrorist attacks, Iraq is doing well these days. Parliamentary elections will move ahead in January or February, U.S. combat troops will be gone by August, and Iraqi oil production is expected to triple over the next six years.

Hezbollah keeps its weapons

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It looks like Hezbollah isn't going away any time soon.

From the AP:
Lebanese Cabinet lets Hezbollah keep its weapons

"Lebanon's new government Wednesday endorsed Hezbollah's right to keep its weapons, the latest sign that the group has no intention of meeting a U.N. resolution calling for it to disarm...

"All 30 Cabinet ministers voted Wednesday to approve the policy statement that endorses Hezbollah's right to keep its weapons...

"The policy statement — which lays out the government's goals for the next four years — illustrates how the government is loath to take any strong action against Hezbollah for fear of sparking a crisis. The group has virtual veto power over the government's moves, most analysts believe, because sectarian violence could follow if it pulls out." ...continued

Another Hezbollah-Israel war has to be considered more likely than not. But when?

Sex and Hezbollah

There is a very interesting article in Foreign Policy about Hezbollah's support of mutaa marriages among its Lebanese Shiite constituency. Mutaa marriages are religiously-sanctioned temporary marriages used by Shiites to engage in casual sex hookups. The Foreign Policy article warns that Hezbollah is facilitating these temporary marriages to increase its appeal among young Lebanese Shiites.

Besides figuring into the overall creepiness of the cult that is Hezbollah, mutaa marriages beg the question of why shari'a Islamic law must be applied to every part of life. Do clerics really need to be in the bedroom to make sure everything is done halal?

Yemen

Check out Yemen on the Brink by Christopher Boucek from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He provides a good succinct analysis of Yemen's current problems. There is a video but I can't get it to embed on this blog, so go there.

Mubarak... Mubarak... Mubarak... Mubarak... Mubarak.. Mubarak.. Mubarak..

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From The National (UAE newspaper):
Egypt opposition fights 'dynastic rule'
"Opposition leader Ayman Nour announced the formation of the Egyptian Campaign Against Tawreeth, or inheritance of power, at a press conference on Wednesday that was attended by opposition groups from across the political spectrum." ...continued.

From BBC: Egypt groups target Mubarak son
"Opposition groups in Egypt have started a campaign to block President Hosni Mubarak from passing power to his son." ...continued.

Egypt's next presidential elections will be held in 2011 and 81-year old President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt since 1981, is thought to be contemplating retirement. Opposition groups are worried that Mubarak's son Gamal will succeed him as the next president.

لبنان في مجلس الأمن

:من راديو سوا

انتخاب لبنان عضوا غير دائم في مجلس الأمن وسليمان يؤكد عزمه حماية المصالح العربية

المسألة هي: هل هذا مقعد في مجلس الأمن سيكون مشكلة للبنان؟ لبنان بلد عندها كثير من مشاكل نفسه ولا تحتاج الى الجدال مشاكل خارج لبنان

من العادي أن بلد عربي واحد يحتل مقعد في مجلس الأمن. وآخر بلد عربي في مجلس الأمن كانت ليبيا, البلد الافريقي يحكمه الدكتاتور العنفي معمر القذافي. لبنان أفضل وأحسن من ليبيا لكن المسألة تطرح لماذا بلدان صغيرة وبلدان الدكتاتورين سمح في مجلس الأمن؟

من اللازم أن اضافة العضوات الدائمات في مجلس الأمن. الهند وبرازيل واليابان هم ثلاثة بلدان الذين يستطيع ان اضافة الى المجلس

ان شاء الله, هذا المقعد لا سيسبب مشاكل للبنان والبنات الجميلات في لبنان

Something wrong with the system?

From: GOP Faces Multiple Hurdles as It Aims for a 1994 Replay [WSJ]

The single biggest bulwark Democrats have is the simple fact that, largely
because congressional districts increasingly are drawn to be friendly to one
party or the other, it remains extremely difficult to unseat incumbent members
of Congress. In the past four election cycles, the re-election rate for
incumbents of both parties in House races has been 94.3%, 94.1%, 97.8% and 96%.
In Senate races, the rate has been 83.3%, 79.3%, 96.2% and 85.7%. While 34
Democratic incumbents lost in 1994, a mere 10 Democratic House incumbents were
defeated in the dozen years from 1996 to 2008.

We need congressional term limits added to the constitution.

The full article is actually an inspirational read. Republicans may not get everything next year, but we will make significant gains if we are energized.

حرية الفكر فين؟

From Egyptians nervous of Israeli culture - BBC:
(مصريين يشعرون بالقلق على ثقافة إسرائيل - BBC)

True, there are no written laws to stop writers from travelling to Israel to promote their books but those who have tried have been castigated - even ostracised - by Egyptian society. In 1994 Ali Salem, once one of Egypt's most prominent playwrights, finally gave in to burning curiosity, jumping into a car and driving himself to the border.
He spent 23 nights in Israel and wrote a book about his trip. "I asked myself who are these people and what are they doing? I wanted to find an answer," he said. "And I don't regret it. I declared my thoughts and I translated it into action. Real co-operation between Egyptians and the Israelis would raise the possibility of peace in this region. I am sure of it." Mr Salem was later expelled from the Writers' Union. In Egypt no-one will touch his work. Today his plays and movie scripts gather dust amid his tattered reputation.

I don't know if "nervous" is the best word for the title of the article, but Egyptians are certainly intolerant of Israeli culture and of all Egyptians who interact culturally, socially, or politically with Israelis. It is no secret that much of the oppression in the Middle East does not come from official government sources, but rather from the intolerant attitudes of colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family.

Read more on the case of Hala Mustafa.

Censorship and the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate

A prominent Egyptian journalist has come under criticism from her colleagues for meeting with the Israeli ambassador at the offices of her newspaper, Al-Ahram, Egypt's largest state-controlled newspaper. The female journalist, Hala Mustafa, is being investigated by the journalists trade union and also by her newspaper, both of which are threatening to expel her from their ranks.

In Egypt, the journalists union, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, sets strict rules for its members and forbids Egyptian journalists from having any contact with Israeli officials. This restriction is placed on Egyptian journalists by the trade union despite Egypt's 1979 peace treaty and nearly three-decades-long diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

The National newspaper of the UAE reports:
Hala Mustafa, a member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and editor of Democracy, the publication of a state-run think-tank, has been put under investigation after receiving Shalom Cohen, the Israeli ambassador to Cairo, at her office last week.“I didn’t expect all this frenzy and fury; for me it was just like any visit by a diplomat,” Mrs Mustafa said in an interview on Sunday.

The Egyptian Press Syndicate, of which Mrs Mustafa is a member, has ordered an investigation into the incident for a possible violation of the syndicate’s anti-normalisation policy. No date has been set yet, though it will begin some time after Eid.

First, it is disturbing that journalists anywhere in the world would censor one of their own members. A journalist must be free to meet with and interview anyone and write on subject or point of view. In restricting its members from meeting with Israeli officials, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate is engaging in a breach of journalistic ethics.

It is also disturbing that the Egyptian government, which exerts control over the Egyptian press, is either actively or passively supporting a campaign opposing full normalization with Israel. The Egyptian government, despite its official policy of peace with Israel, is seen to be capitalizing on anti-Israel sentiment among Egyptians for political gain.

For her part, Hala Mustafa claims that many Egyptian journalists routinely meet with Israeli officials and that she is being singled out.

Here is a video of Hala Mustafa defending her meeting with the Israeli ambassador:



Hala Mustafa's case is representative of the sad state of the Egyptian press today. Whether from official government censorship or societal pressures and journalistic self-censorship, Egyptian journalists face numerous restrictions on the topics and viewpoints they can cover. International journalists must condemn this restrictive and censorious policy by the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate. Normalization with Israel should no longer be a forbidden topic in the Arab press. Here is an opportunity for reformers to support an Arab journalist, and to let this censorship pass because it involves the Israeli issue, is wrong and hypocritical.

A quick read of any issue of the English-language Al-Ahram Weekly publication will give you a good idea of the staid anti-American and anti-Israeli garbage that newspaper has put out for years. In the Hala Mustapha case Egyptian authorities find themselves caught between a variety of conflicting impulses: Egypt's friendly relations with Israel, Arab-Palestinian solidarity, democratic legitimacy, and the proclivity for the Egyptian government to control speech it deems dangerous. But such is the cost of government meddling in a free press.

The government of a free society should never attempt to curb the biases--however ill-conceived--of its citizens. But if the Egyptian government remains determined to control the Egyptian press, then the government should also be held responsible for its content.

Related links
‘Frenzy and fury’ over Israeli’s visit - The National (UAE)
Silencing Dissent: Something is rotten in the state of Egypt - Weekly Standard
Democracy Review chief referred to legal affairs - Daily News Egypt
Egypt Ponders Failed Drive for Unesco - New York Times

Support Hala Mustafa on Facebook:
Facebook group: ..اسرائيل ليست عدوتنا و الشعب المصرى مع هالة مصطفى و نعم للسلام
Facebook group: مناصرة الدكتورة هالة مصطفى رئيس تحرير مجلة الديموقراطيه لنا

Stop the Iranian bomb

The Middle East is a bastion of totalitarianism, radicalism, and terrorism, and it is the last place in the universe that needs a nuclear arms race. A nuclear Iran would be a long-term disaster for the people of the Middle East and could put a freeze on any liberal and democratic change in the region for decades to come. The stakes of instability in nuclear-armed states would be viewed as too risky. The region would thus remain stuck in the status quo of dual secular despotism and its radical terrorist opposition.

It is alarming that so many in the west have adopted a blasé attitude toward the prospect of a nuclear Iran. It is truly unprecedented that the United States would willingly allow its greatest enemy and a regime with a proven track record of terrorism, to acquire a nuclear weapon. A nuclear Iran must be unacceptable in a free world.

Nobody in the United States wants to take on a third war during a recession, but peaceful nations do not choose their fights. What is important is that the world community implement stronger economic sanctions immediately. It is heartening that President Obama, President Sarkozy, and Prime Minister Brown agree on this front. Additionally, Iran has a real and encouraging opposition movement which provides some hope that the regime is loose enough for sanctions to be effective.

However, it is common knowledge that economic sanctions have a terrible track record of changing the behavior of hostile regimes. This means that a significant American air campaign against Iran must soon be contemplated and discussed with the American people. Forcing the Israelis to do our dirty work is also a terrible idea. Indeed, unless one is to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu is bluffing, Iran's nuclear facilities will be attacked within the next five years and the only question is whether Israel attacks or whether the United States and a coalition of western nations attack.

I cannot guess as to what President Obama will do in the face of continued Iranian belligerence. The American president enjoys almost total decision-making power over an American air strike on Iran. American domestic politics would likely punish Barack Obama severely if Iran goes nuclear during his presidency. A nuclear Iran would certainly galvanize conservative opposition to Obama and the weak and impotent label would be reattached to the Democratic Party with vigor.

Did Texas kill an innocent man?

A very interesting article in the New Yorker recounts the controversial Texas death penalty case of Cameron Willingham, executed in 2004. Willingham was found guilty of killing his three children in a 1991 arson fire at his house, from which he alone escaped. The New Yorker article discusses the controversial evidence in the case, including poor forensic evidence by incompetent arson investigators, the lack of any motive, or any additional evidence. The article makes a compelling case that Texas may have put to death an innocent man. The Willingham case is currently under review by a government commission in Texas.

The article is a long sixteen pages, but it's an interesting read.

link: Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man? by David Grann, The New Yorker, 7 Sep 2009

The death penalty is too permanent and our justice system too imperfect for our society to continue to put people to death like this.

Let's keep it non-partisan

In the Wall Street Journal, Dan Senor and Peter Wehner plead with conservatives not to oppose the war in Afghanistan for partisan reasons. The two authors make the case that in recent years both parties, when out of power, have opposed foreign military interventions.

Afghanistan Is Not 'Obama's War' [WSJ 3 Sep 2009]

The case of conservative opposition to the war in Afghanistan—as well
as increasingly in Iraq—is symptomatic of something larger: the long history of
political parties out of power advancing a neo-isolationist outlook.

...Republicans should resist the reflex that all opposition parties have,
which is to oppose the stands of a president of the other party because he is a
member of the other party.

This doesn't mean refraining from criticizing the President's war policies. There certainly are valid arguments opposing a troop increase in Afghanistan. However, each party out of power has an obligation to think twice before offering constructive criticism on issues of war and national security.

Egypt deserves "change" too

From A Message for Mubarak in today's Washington Post by Carnegie Endowment scholar Michele Dunne:

"Why is the Obama administration backing off democracy promotion just as Egypt faces critical elections and a likely leadership change? It appears to be worried that Mubarak will withhold cooperation on regional peace and stability if Washington annoys him by expressing concern for the rights of Egyptians."

The op-ed is critical of the Obama administration for ignoring the democratic aspirations of Egypt's 83 million citizens. Complaining that "Relations between Washington and Cairo have settled back into the comfortable pre-Sept. 11 pattern", Ms. Dunne implores President Obama to pressure Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on democratic reforms when the Egyptian president visits the White House on Tuesday. Egypt will hold a new presidential election in 2011 and it is a golden opportunity for democratic reform in that country.

Shukran to Michele Dunne for being a friend of Arab democracy and calling out the president on this issue. Egypt has long been ready for real democracy and human rights. The infrastructure for democracy is already in place in Egypt: elections, political parties, an extensive private press, and an educated population. Egypt is also largely free of the sectarian and regional issues that plague other Middle Eastern nations. All that is required now is the courage from the Mubarak regime to release its grip.

Democracy in Egypt would open the door to the entire Arab and Muslim world. Egypt has long been the intellectual and cultural heart of the Arab world. Still today, it is the single most influential Arab country in almost every sphere. It shares a Mediterranean border with Europe and has real cultural ties to Europe. Above all, Egypt boasts an economy wholly dependent on its human resources, requiring good government and liberal social values for growth. An open and democratic Egypt would be an unstoppable force propelling reform throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds and would move the center of intellectual thought away from the petro-conservative Gulf to a country with a real streak of liberalism.

Obviously, there will be a vibrant Islamist movement in a democratic Egypt and this is always a scary prospect to the region's liberals, but it is a movement that cannot even begin to deliver. It cannot deliver economic growth, it cannot deliver social harmony, and it cannot deliver peace nor Palestine. As recently witnessed in Iraq, many political parties may initially adopt Islamist language, but Egyptians will ultimately demand secular services, security, and jobs from their government.

Egyptians are ready for democracy now and progress in the region requires it. There is absolutely nothing Mubarak can deliver in the way of regional stability that is more valuable than a democratic Egypt.

This blog will continue to follow Egypt through next year's elections.

مصر تستحق التغيير ايضا

هناك مقالة الرأي في جريدة واشنطن بوست اليوم: رسالة لمبارك

المقالة تنقد الرئيس الامريكي اوباما في اهمال الآمال الشعب المصري للديموقراطية وتشكو في أن "العلاقات بين أمريكا ومصر عادت الى نفس النمط الذي كان قبل اا سبتمبر." الكاتبة تريد أن اوباما يمارس ضغوط على مبارك الى القيام بالاصلاحات الديموقراطية عندما الرئيس المصري يزور البيت الابيض هذا الثلاثاء. مصر سيقوم بالانتخابات الجديدة للرئاسة عام 2011 وهذا يشكل فرصة ذهبية للتغييرات الديموقراطية

شكرا للكاتبة على تكون صديقة للديموقراطية للشعب العربي وناقد اوباما في هذا الموضوع. مصر مستعد للديموقراطية الحقيقية وحقوق الانسان. عند مصر البنية التحتية للديموقراطية: الانتخابات والأحزاب السياسية ووسائل الاعلام وشعب معلمين.لا يعاني مصر من المشاكل الطائفية والاقليمية التي تعاني منها البلاد الأخرى في الشرق الاوسط. كل الذي تحتاج مصر الى مبارك توقف القمع

الديموقراطية في مصر قد تفتح باب الديموقراطية الى العالم العربي كلها والعالم المسلم ايضا. مصر هو مركز الفكر في العالم العربي والوقت الحاضر البلد نفوذ اكثر في المنطقة. مصر تقع قريب من اوروبا وتشارك في علاقات مهمة مع اوروبا. وفوق هذا كله الاقتصاد المصري يعتمد على الموارد الانسانية الذي تحتاج الى الحرية للشعب لكي التنمية والنمو. مصر حر وديموقراطي قد يفرق النور في كل الشرق الوسط وينقل مركز الفكر من الخليج الاسلامي المتطرف الى بلاد يتصف بالليبرالية

طبعا سوف يكون الأحزاب الاسلامية في مصر ديموقراطي والشعب المصري يشعرون بالفزع وبالذعر لكن هذه الأحزاب لا يمكنكم ان يساعدوا الشعب في التنمية والأمن والتجاوب وفلسطين. مثل العراق الجديد كثير من الأحزاب سوف تشبه الصفات الاسلامية وتتحدث في كلامهم الاسلامية ولكن الشعب سوف يطلبون من الحكومة الخدمات العلمانية مثل التنمية والأمن والوظائف

مصر جاهز للديموقراطية أكيد والتطور في الشرق الاوسط يطلبه. ما عنده مبارك ليس شيء ثمين اكثر من الديموقراطية في مصر. من اللازم ان اوباما يضغط مبارك أن يوقف القمع ويبدأ الديموقراطية في مصر

!من الحبة قبة

The English word alcove, meaning a recessed room, comes to us from French via the Spanish word alcoba, meaning bedroom, via the Arabic word qubba (قبة) meaning dome or vaulted dome, such as the dome on top of a mosque.

There is an expression in Arabic: min al-habba qubba! (من الحبة قبة), which means from a tiny kernel, a huge dome! Which is another way of saying, you are making a small issue into something very big, and blowing it out of proportion! I thought an interesting etymology for the day.

Blog changes

I decided to experiment with a new template and layout for the blog. It will take some time before I get the sidebar organized, but I think the new layout provides a bit more space and color. Also, the new Blog Archive is much easier to navigate by year and month.

Al-Qaeda's new enemy: China

It seems China has provoked the ire of Al-Qaeda and Islamist groups for its oppression of the Muslim Uighur minority in western China.

From The Times of London: Al Qaeda vows revenge on China after riots

Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network has taken up the cause of China’s Muslim Uighur minority with a pledge to attack Chinese workers in northwestern Africa in retaliation for mistreatment by Beijing of its largest Muslim minority.
Al-Qaeda's Algerian-based offshoot, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has issued the call for vengeance, according to the South China Morning Post which quoted an intelligence report from London-based risk analysis firm Stirling Assynt.

This was bound to happen sooner or later. Atheist and expanding China will increasingly provoke the ire of Islamist groups. It's unfortunate because China is in the wrong here and I would prefer sympathy go to neither side in this conflict.

In a related story from Yemen, authorities are shutting down a slew of Chinese-run brothels in protest of last weeks's crackdown on the Uighurs. Not kidding.

Yemen can't catch a break

Airline disaster

The tragic crash of the Yemenia airways flight from Sana'a to the Comoros Islands on June 30 has cast a cloud over the airline and threatened its flight status in Europe. France, where the downed flight originated, is threatening to blacklist the airline if it cannot prove that its safety standards are adequate. And on Friday, French citizens of Comoran decent staged a protest against Yemenia by attempting to block the Yemenia gate at the Paris airport.

Yemenia Airways is jointly owned by the Yemen and Saudi governments and has had a great safety record until this incident. My own personal experiences flying Yemenia have been pleasant and I would fly Yemenia again. And look at it this way, if you are visiting Yemen, flying on Yemenia is the safest thing you will do during your entire trip.

Hostages

In other Yemen news, the six missing German and British hostages have yet to be located. The numerous terrorist attacks over the past several years has had a hugely negative impact on tourism, and last month's kidnapping and murder of a group of Europeans has dealt another blow. The Yemen Times reports that international tourism is down further this year from last year. I wouldn't believe the particular numbers in the article, but the eye-count of tourists wandering around Old Sana'a on any given day last summer put the number somewhere close to zero.

Yemen's economic and security troubles are legendary. Without the large oil reserves of the Gulf countries, Yemen has looked to tourism as a way to quickly boost its economic fortunes. According to the Yemen Times,

"The Yemen Tourism Promotion Board is about to launch a campaign in European
countries like Germany, Italy, UK and France to promote tourism in Yemen and
counter the country’s bad reputation for kidnapping and terrorism."

It is questionable whether European tourism is viable at this time. It is almost certain Al-Qaeda attacks will continue at a measured pace for the immediate future, and combined with other security threats, only the most radical adventure tourists will attempt a Yemen holiday (and then may find themselves disappointed to be smothered by tourist police).

Yemen isn't going away. It claims the fourth fastest growing population in the world, most of which is natural growth, and this ancient people living on a desert mountain range will soon make its mark on the modern world.

related links
Kidnappings cause decline in international tourism to Yemen [Yemen Times]
152 Dead in Crash, and One Story of Survival [New York Times]
Kidnappers still proving elusive [The National]

Not this year, please

U.S. lost 467,000 jobs in June...
...unemployment rate is 9.5%

Maybe cap & trade and universal healthcare can wait?