National Journal Blog - 2, 5 June, 2012

Should the U.S. Do More to Arm Yemen's Military? - National Security Experts.

pl

 

Comments

[confusedponderer]

When one reads these hilarious accounts of vainglorious ineptitude of Yemeni military one may be forgiven to mistake them for bumbling idiots. And yet ...

I recall that Mr. Lang has described the Yemeni intelligence service - schooled by the Russians, Americans, French, British and East Germans (and that list is probably incomplete) - as rather competent, and as far as simmering, low tech warfare goes, with recently more modern tools, the various Yemeni groupings probably have centuries of practice and must accordingly be fairly proficient. Reportedly the AK47 and the curved dagger (and the corresponding readiness to use them) are an indispensable part of the local couture (and culture).

With such an inclination and a sizeable population and dwindling water resources the place must be a powder keg of unresolved conflict anyway, and it probably would be like that even with competent, cohesive government.

IMO, if the US was to intervene they would enter a snake pit. When Al Qaeda has problems operating there because of the hostile climate, that goes even more so for Western 'Borgs', who accept only surrender and assimilation to their ways. It'll be a second Afghan war.

[confusedponderer]

On Yemen and water, war, and Khat:

• At heart of Yemen's conflicts: water crisis
• Obscured By War, Water Crisis Looms In Yemen
• Khat chewing in Yemen: turning over a new leaf
• Water wars: 21st century conflicts?

[turcopolier]

CP

The Yemen Secret Police? They are the Barefoot Gestapo, but that does not mean that they are ineffective in the context of Yemen. As for the military, they are perfectly adequate to the task of smashing AQAP. My point is that there is no point to giving them a lot of high tech equipment and for them 155 artillery pieces obsolete i the US are "high tech." BTW, Yemen is ALWAYS at war internally just as Afghanistan is at war internally. The central government NEVER controls more than half the country. The government is just one of the factions and that will not change. pl

[confusedponderer]

Sloppy writing on my part. I meant to write Intelligence Service, not secret police.