Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: January 23, 2015

Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations

CRS Report – Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations. Jeremy M. Sharp, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. January 21, 2015.

“This report provides an overview and analysis of U.S.-Yemeni relations amidst evolving political change in Yemeni leadership, ongoing U.S. counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives in Yemen’s hinterlands, and international efforts to bolster the country’s stability despite an array of daunting socio-economic problems. Along with determining how best to counter terrorist threats emanating from Yemen, Congress and U.S. policy makers also may consider the priority level and resources that should be accorded to attempts to stabilize Yemen and to establish and maintain strong bilateral relations with Yemeni leaders. On November 23, 2011, after eleven months of protests and violence that claimed over 2,000 lives, then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen signed on to a U.S.-backed, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered transition plan. In line with the plan, Yemen held a presidential election in February 2012 with one consensus candidate on the ballot—former Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al Hadi. President Hadi took office in February 2012 shortly after his election. He remains in office, but his power may be circumscribed by former president Saleh and his allies, who appear intent on undermining Yemen’s transition. A presidential decree extends President Hadi’s term, likely until at least until February 2015. Many Administration officials have declared that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemenbased terrorist organization that has attempted several attacks on the U.S. homeland, presents the most potent threat among Al Qaeda’s remaining affiliates. In recent years, the Administration and Congress have committed greater resources to counterterrorism and stabilization efforts there. Amid debate over the accomplishments and objectives of U.S. military and intelligence operations in Yemen, President Obama has suggested that U.S. policy in Yemen may inform U.S. policy in other cases, such as the military campaign against the Islamic State Organization in Iraq and Syria. It is unclear whether and how lessons from Yemen’s specific situation might apply in other contexts. Many analysts assert that Yemen is or is becoming a failed state and safe haven for Al Qaeda operatives for a variety of reasons and as such is likely to remain an active theater for U.S. counterterrorism operations for the foreseeable future. Given Yemen’s contentious political climate and its myriad development challenges, most long-time Yemen watchers suggest that security problems emanating from Yemen may persist in spite of increased U.S. or international efforts to combat them—an argument with which few would disagree given the events of early 2015. As recently as the fall of 2014, the Obama Administration expressed cautious optimism about Yemen’s trajectory, though this assessment might change in light of recent challenges posed by— among other things—the forced extraction of political concessions by the Houthis, a clan from the Zaydi sect (related to Shia Islam) that might receive support from Iran. The State Department reports that the United States committed more than $221.4 million in assistance to Yemen in FY2014, in addition to $316.23 million in FY2013 and more than $353 million in FY2012. U.S. military assistance to Yemen has focused on bolstering its unmanned aerial surveillance capabilities and training its armed forces. Current annual appropriations language includes a provision that would restrict U.S. funding of Yemen’s military were it to be controlled by a foreign terrorist organization.”

 

Paper – The Creative Wealth of Nations

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7118. The Creative Wealth of Nations – How the Performing Arts Can Advance Development and Human Progress – by Patrick Kabanda, Foreword by Amartya Se. “Cultural activities are increasingly noted as drivers of meaningful development. But they have yet to gain a prominent place in the architecture of development strategy.… Continue Reading

OCC Issues Government Securities Act booklet of the Comptroller’s Handbook

“The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued today the Government Securities Act” booklet of the Comptroller’s Handbook. This new booklet, part of the Securities Compliance series, consolidates certain guidance from the Comptroller’s Handbook for Compliance, “Securities Activities” booklet, issued in September 1991, and the Comptroller’s Handbook booklet “Investment Securities,” issued in March… Continue Reading

OCLC Research launches Terms of Use and Reuse for Finding Aid Metadata project

“OCLC Research is facilitating a focused discussion about metadata in finding aids within a scoped effort to produce guidelines for terms of use and reuse of finding aid metadata. We have convened a working group whose members are in contact with archival authorities and associations internationally, such as the Society of American Archivists and the… Continue Reading

70 Public Interest Groups and Companies Urge Congress to Update Email Privacy Law

“EFF, along with more than sixty civil liberties organizations, public interest groups, and companies sent two letters to the House and Senate leadership today. One supported the upcoming bipartisan Email Privacy Act by Reps. Kevin Yoder and Jared Polis, and the other supported the upcoming Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act by Sens. Mike Lee… Continue Reading

SIGAR Report Documents 300 Million Dollar Waste on Afghan Police

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction – More than $300 Million in Annual, U.S.-funded Salary Payments to the Afghan National Police Is Based on Partially Verified or Reconciled Data. SIGAR 15-26 Audit Report, January 15, 2015. “Despite 13 years and several billions of dollars in salary assistance to the Afghan government for the ANP, there… Continue Reading