Revolution
Yemen Uprising" How Long Can "Abdullah Saleh Hang On
In February and March 2011, an uprising against the government began, and clashes with police and pro-government supporters have steadily intensified. Many protestors demand the immediate resignation of the current leadership, and in particular that of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Yemen’s strongman claims that he’s all of the above. A fork-tongued rhetorician who revels in duplicity, Saleh is sweating from a 10-month revolution against his 33-year misrule. After ordering his officials to court UN envoy Jamal Benomar and veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council, Saleh is currently resisting a resolution that he intermittently embraces.
At the heart of all these problems is Yemen’s looming economic collapse. Already the poorest country in the Arab world, Yemen is rapidly depleting its oil reserves and lacks any options for creating a sustainable post-oil economy. Unemployment is estimated at 35 percent, higher than what the U.S. faced during the Great Depression.
Accelerating the economic decline is a protracted civil war in the north between Shia insurgents and the Sana’a-based government. The war has caused a refugee crisis and extensive damage to infrastructure, and its costs will result in a major budget deficit next year. (The government is already burning through roughly $200 million in foreign-currency reserves per month.)
COMPARISON CHARTS 