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YEMEN Why Yemen Matters: A Society in Transition, edited by Helen Lackner. London: Saqi in Association with London Middle East Institute, SOAS and British-Yemeni Society. 2014. 360 pages. £21.99.
Reviewed by Najwa Adra
This collection of papers presented at a 2013 conference held at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London provides nuanced analyses of pertinent issues and development hurdles facing Yemen. Helen Lackner's thorough introduction contextualizes the diverse material covered in this book, which is divided into four parts: "Politics and Security," "Regional Issues," "Economic Development," and "Society and Migration." A chronology of events since 1839, two maps, a list of abbreviations, and suggestions for further reading render this book suitable for students, journalists, and policy-makers unfamiliar with Yemen as well as Yemen specialists.
Sheila Carapico's "Yemen Between Revolution and Counter-Terrorism" opens the first section. It focuses on the doublebind faced by most Yemenis between their aspirations for good governance and "an intransigent domestic ruling class seeking to preserve the status quo, but also . . . the larger context of the outmoded SaudiAmerican-GCC 'stability' pact" (p. 29). In lively and succinct prose, Carapico describes the spread of peaceful demonstrations and their basis in indigenous forms of protest and dialogue. An important point is that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement and National Dialogue Conference exist(ed) within the context of deteriorating poverty, power cuts and global antiterrorism policies.
In the next chapter, Adam Seitz explores ways in which the uprisings of 2011 challenged global perceptions of Arab civil-military relations. He describes the regime of 'Ali 'Abdullah Salih's military reform efforts and its utilization of United States counterterrorism funding....