Yemen’s geographic situation creates the interesting potential for a regional safe haven for terrorists. Yemen and Somalia sit on opposite sides of the Gulf of Aden and yet even with the international implications that this poses there does not seem to be adequate discussion, or action to resolve this problem.

Both countries face significant security problems that are due to resource scarcity. Yemen itself has 91,000 refugees from Somalia. Although there has been international reactions to piracy and terrorism there hasn’t been enough done to combat the causes.

There have been international contributions contributions to Yemen but those are in decline as the global financial crisis continues.

The most interesting aspect of this blog is that fact that it provides a vivid example of how the war on terror is related to environmental issues. It is not just about Yemen as well because the same factors that are damaging Yemen are also damaging many other countries, the closest geographic example being Somalia.

An point that is raised in this blog that deserves some careful consideration is the role of the U.S. and specifically the U.S. military. Obviously the Navy has already been involved, and affected by both terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of Aden. As an organization the U.S. military and especially the Army as it was referenced in the blog has drastically increased its knowledge base on how to resolve conflicts by addressing environmental issues. It seems that U.S. foreign policy and International commitment to environmental security issues is all too often reactive instead of proactive.
The U.S. Army can be sent to react to situations, but it may be more effective to be proactive. This terminology may seem dangerous to some based on the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, but with time and trial a broader humanitarian mission for the U.S. armed forces might give the U.S. more legitimacy in the region.
Again this blog addressed Yemen singularly but the problems exist in many countries.

Allowing Al-Qaeda to get their hands on child recruits because those children do not have a government that can adequately supply their basic needs is unacceptable. It is much more difficult and more costly for the U.S. to wait for the threat to express itself more overtly, and when Al-Qaeda gains child recruits those children will become members that can never be dissuaded in their hatred of the west.

What this blog seems to head towards is the idea that not only are issues like water security in Yemen important in the war on terror, but that they should be the focus. A way forward for the U.S. and the international community should be a humanitarian mission to address environmental security issues before they can manifest themselves into greater conflict.

The U.S. Army is unlikely to continue to face wars about ideology, i.e. Communism and Islamic Extremism. Instead future wars may well be caused by resource scarcity. The Army has learned a lot about these types of conflicts because of the conflicts that it is currently involved in. After the war in Iraq is concluded the Army should refocus on a proactive humanitarian mission aimed and conflict aversion instead of conflict resolution.

Aid organizations play an important role in helping devoloping countries but NGOs lack the teeth necessary to provide security for projects in countries like Yemen where the rule of law is failing. There is a challenge to this idea: that there is a fine line between humanitarian involvement and occupation when armed forces are involved; however, the organization of the U.S. armed forces can provide tremendous support without the need for a large footprint. There are several good examples of this from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake response, the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and also the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Overall the military is the best equipped organization to deal with international relief efforts. While the U.S. footprint should be as small as possible in aiding other countries it should not be invisible. It is time to stop fighting ideologies and instead defeat them by helping other governments provide the environmental security needed to keep their people content.

Thank you for your well thought out response to my comment. I read your blog and commented on it as part of a project for a geography class at West Point, which also happened to be my last project of my cadet career. There is a blog entry about the class project under the military tab.

This subject is of a high interest to me as I begin my Army career. Again thank you for your response and for the interesting post.

Just this morning, the Stimson Center held an event on Yemen, called "Yemen: Recent Developments and Internal Security" with Dr. Mustafa Alani, Senior Advisor, Gulf Research Center, Dubai, UAE. The invitation notes:
"The current political and security crises in Yemen have important internal and regional implications. The Government of Yemen has proved unequal to the political task of addressing political challenges from multiple directions. Yemeni security forces have been unable to address the myriad of armed threats to the state. Tribal, sectarian and regional divisions within Yemen have acquired regional and international significance. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is based in Yemen but has regional reach and aspirations. The willingness of Saudi Arabia to engage in military action against Houthi rebel positions in Yemen, and the allegation of Iranian involvement on the side of Houthi rebels, highlight the increasingly regional nature of what was previously seen as an internal conflict."

Another Yemen expert also recently spoke at a Stimson Center, April Longley Alley, Research Associate at the National Defense University: http://www.stimson.org/events.cfm?ID=729