Canadian scholarships can help Yemen By Harry Sterling Published January 27, 2010

View story Email Comments To the Editor

Those who fear that violence-plagued Yemen could turn into another Afghanistan should consider two complementary concepts: There can be no security in Yemen without development, and no development without security.

That is what Canada and other nations should bear clearly in mind when they meet tomorrow in London.

The British and others originally called the meeting because of an escalation of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda extremists in Yemen, especially after the near-miss bombing by a Nigerian Islamic terrorist of a Northwest Airline flight en-route from Amsterdam to Detroit. But there is also now a growing recognition that defeating global terrorism must take into account some of the underlying factors behind such terrorist acts, including poverty, social marginalization, joblessness and lack of education.

When Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi met Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon last week, he emphasized the connection between helping his government confront the security threat posed by Yemen's own al-Qaeda movement and dealing with that impoverished nation's many socio-economic difficulties, especially the lack of development and widespread illiteracy which contribute to undermining national unity and support for the central government.

The Yemeni foreign minister also repeated his government's desire to see a broadening of relations between Yemen and Canada, including the establishment of a Canadian diplomatic mission in the capital of Sana'a to match Yemen's embassy in Ottawa.

While most Canadians have limited awareness of Yemen, one of Canada's major petroleum companies, Nexen of Alberta—now Canada's third largest—has been very active in Yemen since 1986. (The present Yemeni ambassador to Canada, Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah, worked for Nexen from 1992-2005, later becoming Yemen's petroleum minister.)

Unfortunately for Yemen, petroleum production is down one-third since 2001, reducing badly-needed revenue. Although there's hope new investment would increase production over time, the Saleh government clearly needs outside economic assistance if it's to meet the pent-up frustrations of its complex tribal clan-based society, which is confronted by water and power shortages.

Those frustrations have reached the point where the Saleh government is now confronting renewed insurgency in the northern border region near Saudi Arabia, led by the powerful Houthi clan belonging to the minority Zaydis branch of the Shiite faith. The Houthis say President Ali Abdullah Saleh only looks after his own family and followers, ignoring their region's development needs. The fighting has resulted in Saudi military forces intervening, causing thousands of Houthis fleeing the area, further dividing Yemen society.

In addition, there is now fighting in Yemen's southern region, which was forcibly absorbed by the North in 1990 and saw a short three-month civil war in 1994. The North won with the support of Islamic fundamentalist leaders, some of whom are now considered a liability as the Saleh government confronts an increasingly militant al-Qaeda newly united with al-Qaeda extremists in Saudi Arabia and now called al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

A claim this week, purportedly by Osama bin Laden, that his al-Qaeda is responsible for the attempted Christmas Day bombing may provide countries like Canada with added incentive to consider offering Yemen assistance.

One key area to accomplish this would be assistance in the educational sector to provide the kinds of trained personnel who could assist the government to establish an efficient modern infrastructure.

This process has already begun. About 500 Yemenis are now currently studying in Canadian universities and technical institutions. One hundred are directly sponsored by the Yemeni government, 100 by Nexen and 300 are here on a private basis. The students are enrolled in various institutions, including Dalhousie University, the universities of Ottawa and Carleton, plus institutions in Alberta. (The fact 300 students are here privately is an indication of the vast income disparity within an otherwise impoverished nation.)

Canadian scholarships would be a realistic way to assist the long-term development of Yemen without becoming embroiled in actual combat, as in Afghanistan. (A group of Yemeni clerics recently warned any acceptance of foreign troops would result in the government's overthrow.)

Yemen's regional neighbours could also do much to help. Although nearby states represented by the Gulf Co-operation Council announced in 2006 that they would provide Yemen with $3.7 billion (US), including $1.25 billion (US) from Saudi Arabia, for the period 2007 to 2010, only about 10 per cent of that money has so far been deployed for Yemen's infrastructure. The council said Yemen needed greater technical " absorption capacity" to utilize foreign aid.

Providing Canadian scholarships and other forms of technical assistance for Yemen's economic infrastructure would be a major step forward in promoting Yemen's development and reducing the appeal of Islamic extremists.

Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator.

editor@embassymag.ca