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by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International, 22 January 2010
Ahead of the international conference on Yemen to be held in London next week, Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi has been lobbying to restrict its agenda. The discussions should focus on counterterrorism and…
Islah under fire
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,1 June, 2001
THE NEWLY reshuffled government in Yemen has jumped head first into a conflict with the main opposition party, Islah, over plans to incorporate religious institutes into the state education system.…
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,20 February, 2004
ONE of the world's oddest security barriers - a pipeline almost 10 feet high, mounted on posts and filled with concrete - has appeared unexpectedly on the Saudi-Yemeni border, much to the annoyance of some Yemenis…
Protecting the presence
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,24 November, 2000
US Defense Secretary William Cohen toured the Middle East last week with the message: "We’re not leaving".
Reassuring as this may be for some, Cohen found himself on the defensive during…
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International, 10 September 2004
A militant supporter of al-Qaeda has been sentenced to death and 14 others - among them a former employee in the presidential office - jailed for between three and 10 years following a chaotic trial in Yemen.
The…
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,5 November 2004
Moves to extradite Abu Hamza al-Masri from Britain to the United States have been put on hold following a decision by the British authorities to bring 16 charges against him - including incitement to murder.
Last…
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,1 September, 2000
YEMEN’S parliamentary elections, due next April, will be postponed for up to two years under a series of constitutional changes proposed by President Ali Abdullah Salih.
While extending the term of the House of…
Death sentence dilemma
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,21 May 1999
YEMEN faces a dilemma over the fate of three kidnappers - members of the "Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan" - who were sentenced to death on May 5. The government needs to show the world it is taking a…
Obituary: Abd al-Rahman al-Iryani
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in The Guardian, 25 March 1998
IN A COUNTRY where plots and intrigue were the norm, and political careers often provided a short cut to the cemetery, Abd al-Rahman al-Iryani, who has died aged 89, had the luck and astuteness…
Too good to be true?
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,30 June, 2000
AFTER more than 65 years of un-neighbourly strife, Saudis and Yemenis are reeling at the sudden about-turn in their relationship.
In Sana’a, political leaders are euphoric, describing the border…
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
