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Sporadic unrest mars Yemen poll
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in The Guardian, 28 April 1997
YEMEN'S general election began in a mainly relaxed mood yesterday, three years to the day after the outbreak of a civil war that almost tore the country apart. Security was low-key in the capital…
Radical shake-up
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,25 July 1997
Bolstered by a massive parliamentary majority, Yemen's new government has hit the ground running, with a bold programme of reforms and economic restructuring. The question is how far it can run before…
Backlash?
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,3 May, 2002
WITH THE American embassy under siege, the secret police under attack and demonstrators on the streets, Yemen appears to be suffering from the backlash that many feared the "war against terrorism" would…
Contested elections
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,12 January, 2001
YEMEN'S first local government elections, due next month, look set to turn into a three-way contest.
The Yemen Socialist Party and the conservative-Islamist Islah party will both be fielding…
Introduction
The Berbers lived in north Africa long before the arrival of the Arabs, and their culture probably dates back more than 4,000 years. Berber states known as Mauritania and Numidia existed inclassical times.
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, two great Berber dynasties –…
Yemen hostage murders
Gun battle survivors tell how captors took their revenge
by Rory Carroll and Brian Whitaker
Originally published in The Guardian, 31 December, 1998
IT WAS a hail of bullets from attacking Yemeni government troops that triggered off the execution of the tourists by their…
The nature of Arab regimes
THE TYPICAL Arab regime is bothauthoritarianandautocratic– authoritarian because it demands obedience and discourages questioning; autocratic because power is highly centralised and concentrated around the head of state. The head of state himself is modelled on the…
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International28 May 2004
When leaders of the industrialised countries meet in Georgia for the G-8 summit next month, one of their more surprising guests will be Ali Abdullah Salih, president of Yemen.
Among key topics on the agenda is the…
The stifling of ideas
EDUCATION in the Arab countries is where the paternalism of the traditional family structure, the authoritarianism of the state and the dogmatism of religion all meet, discouraging critical thought and analysis, stifling creativity and instilling submissiveness. The 2004 Arab…
Border deal nearer
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,26 September 1997
Yemen and Saudi Arabia have moved closer to a settlement of their 63-year-old border dispute following a meeting in Milan between President Ali Abdullah Salih and Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz…
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
