WASHINGTON // With the killing last week in Yemen of two prominent Al Qaeda leaders in a single strike, the US military has shown that whatever other changes may be occurring in the region, its war with Al Qaeda proceeds regardless.
But the US has to reconcile its military priorities with a broader political stance that supports pro-democratic forces in the region. Nowhere is this a more difficult balancing act than in Yemen. Here, demonstrations against Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime, which have been joined by elements of the country's armed forces, are only the most obvious fault-line in a historically fractured and sectarian country.
The timing of the operation on Friday, one week after the return to Yemen of its president, Mr Saleh, also suggests that the leader's return was a factor in the mission. Certainly Barack Obama, the US president, was effusive in his praise for the role of the Yemeni government in Friday.
There is little doubt that Mr Saleh would use American military priorities for his own ends, determined not to be cast aside easily.
US officials have been careful to emphasise that there has been no change in policy on Yemen. Washington, the State Department said on Friday, still expects Mr Saleh to begin a transition of power sooner rather than later.
But since the June 3 assassination attempt on Mr Saleh in his presidential compound in Sanaa, Yemen's security forces have stepped up their cooperation with US intelligence and military operations in the country, said Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.
This, as well as helping the US find and kill Anwar Al Awlaki and Samir Khan, is partly an effort to show Washington that the regime is "an indispensable component in the fight against Al Qaeda", Mr Boucek said.
And it is partly an effort to deflect attention from the continuing violence that threatens to tear the country apart. Yesterday, two people were killed when a mortar landed near protesters who have been camping out in the centre of Sanaa. Since the beginning of the upheavals in the country in February, some 1,480 people have been killed, according to the Yemeni authorities.
The US says it continues to support a proposal by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that calls on Mr Saleh to agree to step down in 30 days in return for immunity from prosecution, and a transitional government made up of opposition parties to hold presidential elections two months later.
But Mr Saleh has stubbornly resisted the GCC's mediation efforts. He agreed to sign the proposal three times before the assassination attempt in June. On every occasion, he reneged at the last moment.
Although he again said he was ready to sign the initiative "as it is", in an interview published last week in the Washington Post, Mr Saleh also said it would only work if his opponents, General Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar, who has defected to the anti-regime demonstrators, and a senior member of the Al Ahmar clan, not related to the general, were also removed from their positions.
Mr Saleh then drew a straight line from his political opponents to the Al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula (AQAP).
"What we see is that we are pressed by America and the international community to speed up the process of handing over power. And we know where power is going to go. It is going to Al Qaeda, which is directly and completely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood," Mr Saleh.
It was as clear a sign as any that Mr Saleh is ready to play any card to help him in his domestic power struggle. The US, meanwhile, does not have a choice but to do the same, said Roby Barrett of the Middle East Institute.
Dr Barrett pointed out that the US is already mistrustful of General Mohsen Al Ahmar, who took a "live and let live" approach to radical elements in the past. Mr Saleh, an "incredibly sophisticated" politician, would "absolutely try to use the US to his advantage", he said.
And there are no clear options in a country where the current division within the regime is only the most obvious manifestation of a deeply fractious and divided society.
With a secessionist movement in the south, a rebellion by Al Houthis in the north, as well as Islamist militants all asserting their independence as central authority grows weaker, there is growing concern over regional stability, not least in Saudi Arabia, which shares a 1,800 kilometre border with Yemen.
Gulf, US and international interests are closely aligned in Yemen. Some 3 million barrels of oil daily pass through Bab El Mandeb, the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the southern tip of the country. With Somalia on the other side, instability in Yemen could seriously disrupt shipping through the strait and affect global oil prices and supply.
Yet, in spite of this alignment of interests, Mr Boucek said there was little sign that any long-term planning was being considered to assist Yemen develop into a stronger state. A stable future Yemen, Mr Boucek suggested, demanded closer economic and trade ties with the GCC, the only player "that can give Yemen what it needs".
Dr Barrett, however, said there was little use in looking beyond the immediate future in Yemen. The US and Yemen's neighbours need to accept that Yemen is "unfixable", he said. And the US is already working on that assumption.
"I think the US position is becoming more pragmatic by the day. That is to say, whoever - individuals within the government, the head of the government, local commanders - whoever supports efforts to ensure there aren't jihadis that, one, attack the US and, two, destabilise the region, we are going to cooperate with them."
okarmi@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Two-litre%20four-cylinder%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E235hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nine-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh167%2C500%20(%2445%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Company%20profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Racecard
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Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital