COMMON SENSE
By Hassan Al-Haifi
As much as Yemen was backward and deprived of many of the amenities of life, many of us cannot fail to forget that up to the 1980s and even the early 1990s, for all intents and purposes Yemen was perhaps one of the most secure countries in the world. There was hardly any news to be heard about such things as robberies, killings and other violent social disturbances, most of which would have raised great outcries among the population. One can even recall that in the prosperous 1970s, people were seen riding or walking around with sacks of money behind their backs (and the Riyal then was worth 22 _ Cents) without armed escort, let alone without even bearing arms. But now, the stories of pickpockets and even armed robberies are readily exchanged between people as if they have become the norm of society.
On the other hand, intertribal disturbances, disputes over land and many other violent disruptions of the peace have become prevalent, not only in the rural countryside, but even in the hearts of the cities. One wonders why so much money is paid to tribal chiefs by the Government, while they have failed to bring calm to their respective domains and have found comfort in building luxurious palaces in the capital city, while they insist that without them there can be no peace in the country. Most people are beginning to wonder if there is an obvious waste of public funds, if these Sheiks cannot insure the pacification of their domains.
Disturbing atmosphere
At the worst situation, one would hope that these tribal chiefs could keep tribal feuds out of the cities, since traditionally cities are considered as peaceful enclaves and tribal conflicts should never be allowed to enter into the cities, especially the City of Sana'a. But, these days, especially in the periphery surrounding the city, one has become accustomed to hearing the sound of rattling Kalashnikovs and even heavier military arsenal breaking the peace of the night. It is hard to imagine any environment conducive to progress and economic growth in such a disturbing atmosphere.
As for disputes over land, very seldom does one ever hear of such disputes ever taking on violent manifestations, in most of the countries of the world. Even if there are disputes over property rights, in these places, they are often easily dealt with by civil litigation and clearly defined mechanisms for assessing legitimate ownership. In Yemen, however, despite the existence of land disputes for decades now, especially with the uncontrolled urbanization that has plagued the country, we have failed to come out with an effective property registration system, which will put the government behind the legitimate owners and send any unlawful claimants back where they originated. If property rights cannot be secured well, then it is difficult to envision any investors, whether they are Yemenis or foreigners willing to risk their capital in projects that are to constructed on land subject to litigation, let alone having to face armed takeovers by claimants, who probably have never seen the land, let alone owned it.
Shocks to Yemen
The observer is quick to understand that Yemen has witnessed several traumatic shocks that have erupted, especially over the last decade. However, one cannot fail to note that many of these shocks are not just due to external circumstances, but go back to the absence of clear policy guidelines on dealing with the most minor of issues, most of which have little or no connection with such external circumstances. Furthermore, one should bear in mind that we cannot separate ourselves from events in the world, especially since the Yemeni people have opted to abandon their former tight isolation and join the international community of nations.
There is no reason why it should be difficult for Yemen to find the peaceful atmosphere that will promote the adherence to law and order and the respect for the rights of citizens to sleep at night without having to be aroused by the loud outbursts of gunfire here and there. Only if the government concentrates on resolving the security situation in the country will it be able to provide the right setting for the ample promise that the future can hold for the country. Given the many encouraging economic, social and cultural factors that lend weight to this promise, one would expect that the Government would address the issue of security and adherence to law and order by all the elements of the society as the first priority of sound government. Otherwise its quest to find the conducive setting for encouraging economic growth and attracting investments both from our own private sector and from eager investors from overseas will be futile. After all, the Yemeni people are at least entitled to a sound sleep, if nothing more.

BY JUDITH BROWN, UK
SALLYDEAN22@AOL.COM
I would like to respond to the opinion of Allyn Cee published in Issue 44 of Yemen Times entitled "Responding to: 'Has U.S. learned a lesson?'"First of all, let me introduce myself. I am a British middle-aged nurse who has no family connections with the Arab world, except that as an aid worker I became a privileged witness to suffering of Arab people.
You inadvertently answer the question "Why do Arabs hate us (Americans)" in your first paragraph when you say that Americans don't really care why this is so. Unless you see a two-way relationship between America and the Middle East we will not achieve peace for the West or Arabs.

My reply was "Exactly!"
When were the Middle East consulted on who is to rule America or European countries? Whether we like democratically-elected leaders in another country is surely not an issue for us. But the Arab countries still have a right to a democratic process, unhindered by paranoid American and Western policies. If we start to treat Arabs like the intelligent adults that they are rather than treating them as incompetent we will start to get somewhere.
I would like to answer your questions relating to Palestine and Palestinian people. I don't know whether you have had chance to witness at first hand Israeli occupation. I have, twice, once when I worked in South Lebanon and once in West Bank.
What I saw surprised me greatly because it was not what I expected to see and shocked me to the core; ordinary, innocent Arabs killed, tortured, dispossessed, living in a state of perpetual insecurity as attempts were made by the illegal Israeli occupiers to drive Arabs from their rightful land.
Look at the settlements in West Bank and they tell a story without words. The settlement of Gilo which faces Bethlehem and Beit Jala looks to me to be in perfect condition. The condition of the houses of Arabs facing that settlement are totally bombarded, windows broken, extensively damaged by gunfire from the direction of settlements to the extent that they are totally uninhabitable.

Negotiated for independence
Remember, Palestinian Arabs under occupation tried to negotiate for independence with Israel from 1967 to 1988 with very little violence and were rebuffed by the West and got nowhere. It was in desperation that they began their first Intafada.
They have been rebuffed and misrepresented in their serious participation in the peace process and America has not been an honest broker. The Palestinian response, and some tactics I disagree with totally, follows a long vicious military occupation and it is not unprovoked aggression, and to find a solution we must view the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in that context.
If you want to check that this is so I would be more than willing to take you on a trip to West Bank to see for yourself. You can meet ordinary Arabs who are not fanatics, some of them Christians, some Muslims, who are at their wits end as they are gradually pushed into smaller and smaller areas in the West Bank, deprived of all that is rightfully theirs including their human dignity.

Nobody steps in
Nobody in the world, either Arab nor other country, steps in to stop it happening simply because they are frightened of offending America, Israel's powerful friend.
You conveniently forget that we supplied Saddam Hussein with weapons including gas when it suited us to do so; the West encouraged him into war with Iran. And incidentally, just a point relating to Kuwait, some believe there's evidence that April Gillespie the American representative was consulted by Saddam Hussein before he illegally invaded Kuwait and was given a go-ahead. He walked into an American-set trap.
This adds a different dimension into America's reasons for wanting to attack Iraq now. It also demonstrates how we in the West may at times be mislead by our governments and our media.
You are assuming the war (and I agree it is war) between the Middle East and the West is driven by religious fanaticism. You are wrong. However I think that both Muslims and the West abuse Islam by using it as a reason for the conflict.
The reason is not ideology, but simply because we in the West are trying to grab all that rightfully belongs to Arabs, including their land, water and oil, without considering their human rights, property rights and security rights. You assume that killing by terror tactics somehow is worse or more cowardly than killing by our high tech weapons. You are naive. As an aid worker who has worked in war zones, there is no more or less pleasant way of being killed in conflict - both are dreadful and inexcusable, and in both instances the leaders sit in relative security whilst the ordinary militants/soldiers and civilians are killed.
What I ask is that you look at your own attitudes. Racism against Arabs unfortunately is rife in USA and you are a product of your own culture. What a pity. Arabs are just as nice as other people in the world and you are missing out on their friendship. What did you expect to happen by sending an anti-Arab racist letter to a newspaper an Arab country? Did you expect that they would all read it and say "Now I know where I am going wrong" and then lie down and allow your country to dominate them?
Of course they won't. You are fuelling the misunderstanding between cultures by making us in the West appear racist and intolerant, whereas many of us (including Americans) are supportive of Arab rights. You are causing us to be essentialized just as you are essentialzing Arabic people. You are causing conflict, not diffusing it.
You are assuming that if Communism had won the Cold War, the world would be a lesser place and thus we have all been "saved" by America. This is conjecture and comes from a distorted world view; we simply don't know if this would be so, as those in the Communist countries were lead to fear us in the West and vice versa.
You are expressing a fear based on potent imagery which now can not be proved one way or another. What we do know is that we are heading into a very dangerous world now as America confronts the Islamic world and misrepresents the Arab with images of irrationality and aggression in order to try to win the propaganda war.
Let's hope for peace mad leaders
Let us hope that at some point in the future we will all have leaders who are peace mad. Then maybe we can make progress and start to appreciate each other for what we are and learn from each other how to live our lives better. Learning between cultures is a two way process and not as you assume, a one way street. This is something which I am privileged and grateful to have found out for myself.