Country Watch
While opposition forces point fingers at al-Assad’s regime, the current government has attempted to downplay the reported unrest and has blamed much of the reported violence on terrorists. A spokesman for Syria’s foreign ministry indicated that the nation’s government had not hidden any- thing from the monitors and has provided every- thing necessary for their tasks. The Arab League itself acknowledged that the Syrian government has taken some steps, such as withdrawing heavy weaponry and releasing several thousand prison- ers, to meet the terms of the peace plan. Recent- ly, however, President al-Assad vowed to use an “iron fist” to quash what he called foreign-backed operations to divide his nation.
Amid heightened calls for international military presence to stop the violence in Syria, UN Sec- retary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded Assad’s regime to stop killing its people and urge the government to come to a peaceful resolution. He warned, “[t]he path of repression is a dead end. The winds of change will not cease to blow.”
With the Arab League monitoring mandate set to expire in mid-January 2012, foreign ministers are expected to meet again to discuss their next move. Though the leaders have yet to decide on a coordinated response to Syria’s turmoil, possible next moves include: piling diplomatic pressures, creating no-fly zones to help opposition forces, impositions of sanctions, and sending in military forces.
*Submitted by Kristen Klump
step down after 33 years in power. President Saleh stated in a speech after signing the agree- ment that, “[w]e are sorry for what happened in Yemen and we were hoping that [a] transfer of power would take place democratically. The differ- ences created problems for national unity and de- stroyed what was built in the last couple of years.” Since January 2011, President Saleh has faced “large youth demonstrations calling for his res- ignation.” Saleh becomes the fourth Arab leader to step down amid protests, part of the so-called “Arab Spring” that has swept over the Middle East and Africa, joining Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan leaders in falls from grace
In November, the top United Nations envoy to Yemen announced that the “warring forces ha[d] agreed to a political transition settlement.” Under the transition settlement which was negotiated and facilitated by Jamal Benomar, the United Na- tions (UN) Special Adviser on Yemen, President Saleh would hand over his powers to Vice Presi- dent Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi within 30 days of the signing which took place on November 23, 2011. New presidential elections are slated to be held on February 21, 2012, and over the next two ensuing years, a “government of national unity would establish a national dialogue to ensure that a broad section of society takes part in determin- ing Yemen’s future.”
After Winter in Yemen, Comes an Arab Spring
For the last few months, Yemen has been devas- tated by violence between two factions—those in support of Yemen’s President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and those opposed to Saleh. President Saleh has hoped to put the violence, fighting, and chaos that have plagued Yemen as of late, behind him, by an- nouncing on November 23, 2011, that he would
Benomar stated that the settlement was “an im- portant milestone towards restoring peace and stability, maintaining national unity and territorial integrity, and laying the foundation for economic recovery.” But while Benomar was hopeful that this deal would usher in a new political era for Yemen, he expressed concern over the current precarious state of Yemen. “The situation in Yemen remains highly fragile, and the political agreement will be impossible to implement without the continuous commitment and cooperation of political and other leaders throughout the country,” said Benomar.
In the United States, a senior Obama administra- ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 3 » February 2012
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