# And now: Yemen and the "Pink Revolution" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 13, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245 "2011-02-13T21:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/41 "2011-06-12T17:36:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > OK, if [the U.S. is bombing (some of) the rebels/opposition in Yemen (specifically, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula),](http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/06/2011695741630402.html) does that mean we’re . . . on Saleh’s side, here? 😕 I think it means we’re against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/42 "2011-06-15T02:34:01Z")
BBC just reported the CIA is going to start operating armed drones to attack al-Qaeda in Yemen. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/43 "2011-07-08T13:29:55Z")
[Saleh makes his first TV appearance since he left Yemen for SA:](http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/201177143420256530.html) > [@](#): > > Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his face burned and his hands covered with bandages, has appeared on television for the first time since he was wounded in a bomb attack on his palace in Sanaa. > > Saleh, who was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia after the June 3 attack, said he had undergone “more than eight successful operations” and called for dialogue in his speech broadcast on Yemeni television on Thursday. > > In his brief address, recorded in Saudi Arabia, he said those who have sought to drive him from power had an “incorrect understanding of democracy”. > > More than four months of popular uprising seeking to push the longtime ruler from power have shaken the impoverished Arabian peninsula country. > > Saleh said he welcomed power sharing as long as it was within the country’s constitutional framework. > > State television showed fireworks lighting up the sky above the capital at the end of Saleh’s speech, as the president’s supporters celebrated his appearance. Yeah, well, fireworks are cheap, and so are crowds. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/44 "2011-07-08T21:15:04Z")
[Wonderful news](http://lincolntribune.com/?p=15781) yesterday. Only a matter of time til [Awlaqi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki) eats it. What’s the over/under on December? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/45 "2011-07-09T01:13:32Z")
Something had better start happening soon somewhere. You’ve heard of the Arab Spring? In the local English-language press over here, they’re already starting to refer to the Arab Fall, saying the failures in places like Bahrain and slowness of the Libyan action is pointing to Tunisia and Egypt just being anomalies. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/46 "2011-07-09T01:54:28Z")
Heh. The rebels are getting closer and closer to Tripoli. I believe that they could win on their own, now. It’d be bloody, but possible. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/47 "2011-07-10T14:19:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Something had better start happening soon somewhere. You’ve heard of the Arab Spring? In the local English-language press over here, they’re already starting to refer to the Arab Fall, saying the failures in places like Bahrain and slowness of the Libyan action is pointing to Tunisia and Egypt just being anomalies. Dude, this caught fire even in **Syria;** the only greater astonishment would be if it happened in SA. And it will eventually, now. Remember, **all these people speak Arabic.** They can’t be kept in ignorance of what happens the next country over, the borders are too long to control that tightly. Tunisia and Egypt are going to get to work building their new governments and the whole Arab world is going to be watching, closely, every step of the way. That means ordinary people watching and commenting and forming opinions and getting used to the idea that they **get** to form opinions and once that starts it’s really hard to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/48 "2011-07-11T03:12:56Z")
I hope you’re right, although that’s what they said in 1848. Except for the speaking the same language part. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/49 "2011-07-18T06:53:16Z")
[Looks like the Yemeni government finally found some internal allies, at least against a common enemy – al-Qaeda.](http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/17/yemen.unrest/) > [@](#): > > Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) – Fighting flared in Yemen’s volatile south Saturday, as security forces – backed by armed tribesmen – battled Islamic militants in the region, eyewitnesses said. > > Hundreds of tribesmen joined the fight in the town of Zinjibar, vowing to stand strong until Islamic militants leave Abyan province. > > “We will not stop until the terrorists leave the province. We will fight and have nothing to lose,” said Masood Mansoor, one of the fighters. “This land is ours and we will not allow it to be a safe haven from outlaws.” > > Government troops have been battling both anti-government tribal forces and Islamic militants, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. > > A senior security official in Zinjibar said the clashes began Saturday night and were the fiercest yet in the weeks-long fight against the militants. The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said several militants were killed or wounded, but couldn’t give exact numbers. > > “The clashes are nonstop and the forces are surrounding the militants from all directions,” the official said. > > The United States has been aiding Yemen’s military in its fight against Islamic militants amid fears that al Qaeda is exploiting the political chaos and leadership vacuum engulfing the unstable and impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/50 "2011-09-23T21:17:39Z")
[Saleh finally returns to Yemen, calls for a cease-fire.](http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192344820432439.html) Meanwhile, 18 more protesters were killed the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/51 "2011-09-25T10:05:01Z")
“Yemen rains mortar shells on protesters At least 40 killed in Sanaa bloodbath” [Link](http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/24/yemen-protesters-killed.html?cmp=rss) Things are going downhill. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/52 "2011-10-09T02:16:39Z")
So, one of the deals that is being proposed for Saleh stepping down is for him to handover power to the vice-president in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Uh, what should he be prosecuted for? He was legally elected to the position he is in. No one has ‘impeached’ him to officially remove him from power. So, far it is just an angry mod who wants him gone. What has he done to deserve prosecution that anyone else in his position wouldn’t have done? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/53 "2011-10-09T09:02:20Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > So, far it is just an angry mod who wants him gone. :eek: Don’t speak lightly of that around here! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/54 "2011-11-23T19:31:04Z")
[Saleh signs deal to step down with immunity from prosecution.](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57330382/yemens-saleh-signs-deal-handing-over-power/) (Apparently a lot of Yemenis don’t like that part.) Soooooo . . . Now what? ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/55 "2011-12-01T16:56:47Z")
Its all very well people talking about the" Arab Spring", and other in vogue catchphrases, but its pointless bringing down one less then democratic government, only to have no substitute to replace it with. Egypt now has a military government, looks like “spring” came and went there pretty quickly. Of course everything would be hunk dory if the demonstrators though out the M.E. were dyed in the wool democrats seeking freedom and justice. But they’re not, many of them are swept along by mob mentality, enjoying the excitement, and the feeling of belonging, but without having thought out the nuts and bolts of what they want to achieve if they’re successful. Many more are not so much against lack of democracy as they are to take THEIR turn to get their snouts in the trough . Democracy in the sense of the word that Westerners use it, doesn’t really form part of the cultural history of the M.E. Indeed many don’t actually want Western style liberal democracy. I am not saying that thy’re right, just saying that that is how they feel. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/56 "2011-12-01T17:06:56Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Democracy in the sense of the word that Westerners use it, doesn’t really form part of the cultural history of the M.E. > > Indeed many don’t actually want Western style liberal democracy. And many apparently do. It’s easy to be cynical, but note we have not always been democratic in the west. Democracy came to the west generally over a longer period and with more blood spilled than has happened with the arab spring. And sure, I’ll bet among those fighting for democracy in our history there were plenty that just had bloodlust or wanted power for themselves. What else is new? It doesn’t detract that it’s a positive development overall and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/57 "2011-12-01T17:22:38Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Egypt now has a military government, looks like “spring” came and went there pretty quickly. Egypt has always had a military government. The military “allowed” Mubarak to stay in power. Egyptians think of the military as we think of the Constitution- the ultimate, supreme law of the land. So when they overthrew their government and started thinking about drafting a constitution, the first thing people came up with was “The military will still be the supreme rulers” and the opposition responded “Well, duh. Obviously. Now let’s get to debating important matters.” So you can’t say “spring came and went” when having the military in charge was a noncontroversial topic from the start. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245/58 "2012-02-27T17:48:21Z")
Finally, [Saleh has handed over the reins of the reign to his VP, Abd-Rabby Mansour,](http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201222774749787487.html) who just won an unconstested “election” to the presidency (whatever, everybody went along just to get things moving and get Saleh out). Under the transition deal Saudi Arabia brokered, there’s supposed to be another, presumably more serious, election within two years. Sure hope this helps. [cros- . . . crescents fingers] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-yemen-and-the-pink-revolution/571245.md?page=2)