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22 Jan 2012 20:48

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U.S., World: Ali Abdullah Saleh exits Yemen as anger over immunity deal rages

  • the deal Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to give up his power in Yemen in exchange for immunity against prosecution in the country he led for more than three decades. Saleh, the fourth Arab Spring leader to lose power (and the third to relinquish it), apologized “for any failure that occurred” during his rule.
  • the exit Now, as protests flare up against the sweetheart deal he got, Saleh is heading to the U.S. to get medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in an assassination attempt last year. Bro plans to return in time for elections next month, however — but not as the country’s leader.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2011 20:09

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World: Obama administration: Yemen’s Saleh headed to U.S. for medical treatment

  • In the end, we felt there was enough good to be gained that it was worth managing the criticism that we’d get, including any comparisons to past episodes.
  • A U.S. official • Speaking about the decision to let Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh into the U.S. for medical reasons — which runs counter to what Saleh himself said a couple of days ago. The Yemeni leader claimed over the weekend that he would head to the U.S. just to get away from the region to let electoral officials do their work, but considering the fact that Saleh got burned so severely in his assassination attempt, the alternate story is by no means a surprise. By the way, when the official refers to “past episodes,” he means a 1979 episode where Jimmy Carter let an ailing Iranian shah into the U.S. — which angered officials in Iran. Already, similar concerns are coming up amongst Yemeni activists who worry the U.S. may give Saleh a safe harbor. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Dec 2011 12:21

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World: Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave for U.S. to allow for Yemeni election planning

  • I will go to the United States. Not for treatment, because I’m fine, but to get away from attention, cameras, and allow the unity government to prepare properly for elections. I’ll be there for several days, but I’ll return because I won’t leave my people and comrades who have been steadfast for 11 months. I’ll withdraw from political work and go into the street as part of the opposition.
  • Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh • Discussing his plans to leave Yemen soon, in an effort to give the government space so they can start the electoral process. This appears to be a major concession on the part of Saleh, as he’s gotten in the way of transition efforts in the past — especially prior to an assassination attempt earlier this year. Being halfway around the world, playing tourist in the U.S. (he’d get a kick out of Disney World), will probably go a long way towards encouraging peaceful elections in the country. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Dec 2011 09:53

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World: Three women — two Liberian, one Yemeni — accept Nobel Peace Prize

  • Three examples of strong female peace-fighters: On Saturday in Oslo, the three winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Price — from left, Yemeni Tawakkol Karman, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf — accepted their honors. The three women were chosen together as a reflection of women’s rights at large. Karman’s case is particularly of note — at 32 she is not only the youngest winner of an award, but also the first Arab woman, one reflective of this year’s Arab Spring movement. Gbowee, meanwhile, led an anti-rape campaign in her country; and Johnson-Sirleaf went a long way in easing tensions by leading the country past a long civil war. Congrats to all three. (Photo via AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Nov 2011 14:29

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World: Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh agrees to end rule over Yemen

  • So long, Saleh: As we mentioned last night, reports had been swirling that Ali Abdullah Saleh, the embattled (and battling, judging from the violence his government wrought against citizen protests) leader of Yemen, had arrived in Saudi Arabia to strike an agreement with the opposition to end his rule. Today, the New York Times has reported that exactly that took place: Saleh signed on to an end to his 33-year tenure, but he will officially retain the title of “President” until new elections are held three months from now. Whether this is truly the end of Saleh’s influence in Yemeni politics is unclear, however — his family still holds many powerful positions in Yemen’s military and intelligence agencies. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Oct 2011 23:16

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World: Yemeni opposition not exactly buying Saleh resignation claims

  • claim Longstanding Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, fresh from recovering from an assassination attempt that left most of his body burned, claimed on state television that he would be resigning from office soon. Finally.
  • dismissal However, Saleh has made this type of claim on three separate occasions since April, a period which included months of incapacitation. The boy who cried wolf? More like the leader that cried “stepping down!” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Oct 2011 12:46

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World: Is the Nobel Peace Prize’s approach to the Arab Spring the right one?

  • We have included the Arab Spring in this prize, but we have put it in a particular context. Namely, if one fails to include the women in the revolution and the new democracies, there will be no democracy.
  • Nobel Prize Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland • Explaining how the committee worked the Arab Spring into the Nobel Peace Prize while giving it a broader context — the repression of women. One of the three winners, Yemen’s Tawakkul Karman, has been a leader the anti-government protests in that country. The other two, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and fellow Liberian Leymah Gbowee represent different parts of the issue — Sirleaf is Africa’s first freely elected female leader, while Gbowee led a successful campaign against the usage of rape as a weapon during Liberia’s civil war. As the Arab Spring has plenty of moments which might be considered problematic for giving out a Nobel Peace Prize (such as war and violence), this is a compromise that de-emphasizes all that, while focusing on a quite-important issue. Think it’s the right approach? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Sep 2011 22:12

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World: Anwar al-Awlaki killing approved in secret Justice Department memo

  • As a general matter, it would be entirely lawful for the United States to target high-level leaders of enemy forces, regardless of their nationality, who are plotting to kill Americans both under the authority provided by Congress in its use of military force in the armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces as well as established international law that recognizes our right of self-defense.
  • A vague, anonymous U.S. official • Discussing and defending the American role in killing key al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki, whose killing was sanctioned in a secret memo put together by the Justice Department. As we pointed out earlier, al-Awlaki was a U.S. citizen, making his assassination very controversial for some, most notably Glenn Greenwald. Does the explanation above hold water? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Sep 2011 10:44

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World: Three reasons Anwar al-Awlaki’s assassination is a major development

  • We could say all sorts of things about Anwar al-Awlaki, but we’ll let this Yemeni official say them for us: “He’s the most dangerous man in Yemen. He’s intelligent, sophisticated, Internet-savvy, and very charismatic. He can sell anything to anyone, and right now he’s selling jihad.” A high-profile get for the United States, the al-Qaeda recruiter was killed during an ongoing bombing campaign coordinated with Yemen. Obama is expected to speak on al-Awlaki’s death soon. Why is this such a big deal? Here’s a breakdown:
  • one Anwar al-Awlaki was considered one of al-Qaeda’s top recruiters and had been highly sought after by both American and Yemeni officials for years.
  • two Al-Awlaki was also internet-savvy, using his fluent English and Web presence to draw recruits. Experts say this is a future model for terror recruitment.
  • three Despite his pedigree as a internet-savvy spiritual leader, al-Awlaki was also a U.S. citizen, meaning some see civil rights issues in this situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 08:20

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U.S.: Ali Abdullah Saleh returns to Yemen after assassination attempt

  • This video really needs Eminem’s “Without Me” as its soundtrack. Three months after an assassination attempt that nearly took his life and left much of his body burned, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is back in Sanaa, looking pretty good for a guy who had 40 percent of his body burned. Saleh returns to Yemen at a time of increased tension in the country —including violence that’s killed over 100 in the past week alone. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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