Posted on 05/25/2011 11:52:53 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
The State Department has just put this advisory out on twitter: We urge U.S. citizens not to travel to Yemen & U.S. citizens currently in Yemen depart while commercial transport is available. Yemen is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east.
Yemen is an economic mess. It is the poorest country in the Arab world and has an official unemployment rate of 65%. The government survives off of oil reserves that are expected to be depleted by 2017.
Who is behind the current unrest? It is not completely clear, although it should be noted that control over Yemen's Aden port - the "gate to Asia" - brings huge benefits. Currently those benefits go to the US. And it is interesting that Yemen is next door to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi monarchy certainly doesn't want any changes in the Yemen regime. Saudi Arabia has been supplying troops to help quell the Yemen uprising.
If President Ali Abdullah Saleh resigns and a favorite of the US fills the power vacuum, then if I am Saudi Arabia, I get a bit nervous. Saleh has always played a cagey game and was a close ally of Saddam Hussein. A total US puppet on the border of Saudi Arabia or an anti-US regime on the border is not a positive for the Saudis. Both cause problems for Saudi Arabia, differing problems, but problems for sure.
Well darn, there go my Memorial Day plans! I’ll have to pay $75 to get the tickets changed and go somewhere safer like, oh, Peshawar or Islamabad. Some place fun for the kids...
Ahh. Springtime in Arabia. Peacefull Muzzies just for fun.
I hear Angola is nice this time of year...
I seriously do not require a state dept advisory telling me not to go to Yemen. It’s like advising me not to jump out in front of a moving bus, completely unnecessary.
I doubt Yemen is at the top of most folks vacation hotspots, but some Americans may be there for businrss/commerce, or may have been planning on going. Like you said, Islamabad or Peshawar may well be more fun. I recommend Istanbul or Dubai.....safer (more or less). Of course, being like the drunk Brit from a few weeks ago may not endear you to the locals.
We are in fact witnessing what was once called “the domino effect” regarding communism.
These forces in play are not as rational as the communists.
This will not end well with the limp dink we have overseeing this global disaster.
I’d have to be in uniform to be in that part of the world right now.
that's stronger language then i ever heard. i would grab the quick bag and head immediately to the airport.
if that failed, my plan was always to don a disguise and try getting out with as little fan fare as possible
“Id have to be in uniform to be in that part of the world right now.”
You said it first! n/s
oy....
we have about 10 different wars to finish or start...lol
LOL.
What about Liberia? I hear the locals put on a GREAT show.
Finally a state department advisory to get out. Common sense would say the advisory is more than a little late.
Yesterday: Yemen suspends air traffic in capital, diverts flights due to clashes
Not even close to true. Yemen has proved reserves of 3,000,000,000 barrels and a current production around 250,000 bpd.
Not to mention they have built LNG export facilities in recent years.
Much of the country is still relatively unexplored and the oil production is in early stages. I was on the design and construction team in the early 1990s for their second oil facility. There is much more oil than the current proved 3 billion barrels, but it will take a more stable government for the investment to produce.
My first reaction was to laugh at the flotation vest until I thought a bit and realized the magical thinking behind it. He heard or saw flak vests used for protection and never stopped to think of why they offered some protection, only "vest" lodged as the operative concept in his brain.
Then again it might just be a style statement something to go with the Michael Jackson moon walk.
OK, so I'm still laughing.
Illuminates the target area rather nicely, though, don’tcha think?
The idea is that colorful weird non-sequitur garb is supposed to confuse evil spirits, and thus ward off bullets.
That pic is one of the saner-looking examples.
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