The 2011 Yemen revolution was betrayed by the international community as well as the oligarchs in Yemen. Every revolution is about overthrowing the elite and then having new elite and/or popular empowerment. There is no doubt the Houthis overthrew an elite grouping. Yet replacing one private army for another is not progress in the long term. Neither can the Houthis be wholly excluded anymore. The goal now in my view must be to develop pluralism within the military, to insist not that the Houthis returning to Saada but to soon integrate these tribal irregulars with a broad range of Yemenis to form a functional and professional military that responds to orders from the President and has integrity and financial transparency. There must be an end to the fiefdoms and small kingdoms ruled by influential commanders. There must be an end to vast criminal enterprises controlled by generals and an end to the hateful bias and sectarianism that was rampant in the Yemeni military for a decade. There also must be an end to the material support of al Qaeda by military commanders, the training and facilitation of those fanatical zealots that want to impose their own bloody imported imperialism on Yemeni citizens through suicide bombings.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 18:36:10 +0000
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