Former envoy criticizes 'U.S. Focus on terrorism in Yemen'
The Source: SANA'A/hadharamaut.info/sabanews.net - 10/01/2011
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Former U.S. ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine has criticized in a lecture she delivered in Sana'a her country's relationship with Yemen focused only on the fight against terrorism.
With the Yemeni-U.S. relationship focused only on terrorism, the U.S. can't contribute to promoting democracy and development in Yemen, she said in her lecture at the Sheba Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS) on Sunday.The U.S. should look at Yemen through a long-term prospect and through issues of democracy, not only security, she added.There has been a U.S. short-sightedness toward Yemen, said Bodine, who served as a U.S. envoy to the country during 1997-2001."The Yemeni-U.S. ties were not strong before 1997 because the two countries did not do what they should do to develop them, however, they have started to expand the bilateral cooperation in recent years focusing on the fight against al Qaeda."Yemen is not a failed state and Yemenis will not abandon their country, she said, pointing out that the U.S. learned from the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan that regimes can't be created by foreigners. "Regimes, however, can be helped tackle various issues facing the welfare of people, development and democracy.""At present, there are three key challenges facing Yemen, which are the population growth, water scarcity and power shortages. The issues of al Qaeda, Houthis and the south as well as the performance of the government and building human capacity should follow," she said.
To see a developed Yemen there should be a focus on training human cadres and developing education, said Bodine.
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