People are dancing in the streets of Sana, Yemen after their president Ali Abdullah Saleh fled to Saudi Arabia to seek treatment for “burns and scratches” he received when his mosque was hit by artillery-fire. The truth is probably more ominous. I think Mr. Saleh is more badly injured than he’s willing to let on.
In any case, it’s doubtful that the Saudis will ever let him return to Yemen even if he makes a full recovery. So, now things get very interesting.
The vice-president has taken over now, which comports with their Constitution. But the Yemeni protesters want democracy. They’re happy now, but after a few days they’ll want more progress. The Saudis want stability. They also want to stop this wave of political freedom and aspiration. But they hold the fate of Yemen in their hands. Will they allow democracy there, as the people demand? And can Yemen work as a country without a strongman at the top?
Will a vacuum of power turn Yemen into this decade’s Afghanistan and a lethal sanctuary for big-minded terrorists?
Who knows? I certainly don’t. As far as I am concerned, the Arab Spring won’t be complete until Gaddafi, Assad, and the whole Saudi Royal Family are driven out of power. The Sauds are responsible for their actions. They all belong in the Hague.
