Yemen: The Law of the Tribesmen...Is There a 'Pilot' in the Cabin?

Abstract

The republic of Yemen born in 1990 from the union of the South and the North is threatened by a multidimensional internal struggle for power, dramatized by the increasing involvement of al-Qaeda and Iran. In this struggle, the tribes have so far succeeded to prevail on the central government, making of their occult alliances to radical Islamists and the kidnapping of foreigners the core of a merchant-like bargaining with the government. In this article, the author shows how this behavior has settled new rules in the political and social life of this country and how it may grow to threaten the state itself and undermine its supports, if the “law” of the tribe is allowed to dwarf the state.

Keywords: Middle East, terror, radical Islam, Tribalism, al-Qaeda, Yemen

JEL Classification: K42, N35, J78, H56, D74