Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operates
out of Yemen, a fragile state plagued by a myriad of socio-economic and security challenges. The population of Yemen faces high levels of poverty and unemployment, a low literacy rate, and an addiction to a drug called “qat.” Furthermore, Yemen’s natural resources are depleting. Predictions say that the capital, Sana’a, will run out of water in 2015 and Yemen’s oil supply will run out in 2017. The al Houthi insurgency in the north and the Southern Movement’s calls for secession both pose an existential threat to the government and place a significant strain on its resources and security apparatus. The combination of these factors creates an environment in which AQAP finds shelter, allowing it to train and prepare for attacks. This section provides analysis and background information on the security challenges in Yemen.
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The Critical Threats Project has prepared a Yemen dashboard that outlines the security threats in the country. The dashboard contains an overview of the current situation in Yemen, including the political unrest, and a more detailed profile of each of the three threats: al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the al Houthi Rebellion, and the Southern Movement. Included is an organizational chart of AQAP's core leadership and biographies of those individuals.
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Recent Products
Yemen Crisis Situation Reports
The Death of AQAP's Anwar al Awlaki
Ten Years After 9/11: Al Qaeda's Reemergence in Yemen
Al Qaeda's Gains in South Yemen
Terror Partnership: AQAP and Shabaab
Yemen Slides Toward Civil War, The Weekly Standard
Crisis in Yemen and U.S. Objectives
Tracker: Unrest in Southern Yemen
Tracker: AQAP and Suspected AQAP Attacks in 2010 and 2011
Analysis
Yemen Protests: U.S. Policy in Crisis
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in 2010: The Intensification of the Near War
Militant Islam's Global Preacher: The Radicalizing Effect of Sheikh Anwar al Awlaki
President Saleh's Missed Opportunity: Yemen's Decision to Reject an al Houthi Cease-fire
Terrorist Rehabilitation in Yemen?
Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
January 15th Strike: Targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders and Implications
Christmas Day Attack: Manifestation of AQAP Shift Targeting America
Christmas Day 2009 Airline Bombing: Yemen and al Qaeda Context
Denying al Qaeda a Safe Haven in Yemen
A Critical War in a Fragile Country: Yemen's Battle with the Shiite al Houthi Rebels
Backgrounders
Yemen Protests Briefing Packet
Critical Threats Project Briefing on Yemen and AQAP
Yemen's Southern Challenge: Background on the Rising Threat of Secessionism
Maps
Battle Map of Conflict Area on Border of Saudi Arabia and Yemen
QUICK TAKES
Update on the Crisis in Yemen, May 16, 2011
Al Qaeda and its Affiliates Exploit Yemen Unrest, April 4, 2011
Yemen Protests Update, March 28, 2011
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's English-Language Magazine, July 13, 2010
Anwar al Awlaki - Militant Islam's Global Preacher, March 12, 2010
A Missed Opportunity in Yemen? February 4, 2010
Yemen, AQAP, and a Way Forward, January 21, 2010
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External Publications
He's Back: Implications of Saleh's Return to Yemen, AEI Center for Defense Studies, September 23, 2011
Unrest in Yemen Could Benefit AQAP, The Corner: National Review Online, March 31, 2011
The Shifting Tactics of AQAP, The Corner: National Review Online, November 24, 2010
The Continued al Qaeda Threat from Yemen, The Daily Caller, November 1, 2010
A Litmus Test for Yemen, The Corner: National Review Online, August 23, 2010
We Must Not Forget About Yemen, The Corner: National Review Online, July 9, 2010
Eliminating al-Awlaki, The Corner: National Review Online, April 7, 2010
How to Apply 'Smart Power' in Yemen, The Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2010
It's a War. Where's the Strategy?, The Corner: National Review Online, January 7, 2010
IN THIS SECTION
He's Back: Implications of Saleh's Return to Yemen
President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s sudden return to Sana’a will impact developments in Sana’a by either hastening a transfer of power or driving the country closer to broader armed conflict.
U.S. Reportedly Strikes Terrorist in Yemen
There’s a report of a U.S. airstrike in Yemen’s restive southern governorate of Abyan that seems to have targeted Fahd al Quso, a Yemeni al Qaeda operative on the FBI’s most wanted list. Targeted strikes, a hit-or-miss tactic, will not alone defeat al Qaeda in Yemen.
