Once again I read the news and I have plenty of healthy speculation to offer. After a previous blog on the festive attempted terrorist plots, it seems that my suspicions of further plots were correct as the US embassy in Yemen has now been shut because of "ongoing threats".
The Economist, in an article this week, quotes an American official in Yemen saying "Iraq was yesterday's war, Afghanistan is today's war. If we don't act pre-emptively, Yemen will be tomorrow's war."
This has a certain ring of truth to it. Although this official might be perspicacious, his wording is dangerous. We know what happened the last time a US president spoke of pre-emptive action. Granted Yemen is a completely different case to Iraq, I don't trust general Western populations to make the distinction. At least we have a government on side in Yemen.
Could this be a sign of Al-Qaeda trying to flank the US and NATO? With the US bogged down in Afghanistan and still reeling from Iraq anyone can understand that the US could not realistically commit to another massive troop deployment without serious domestic and economic consequences. Or, is this a sign of Al-Qaeda losing ground and safety in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Is Al-Qaeda trying to find a new refuge in Yemen? The same goes for Somalia.
Time will tell of course.
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