Customer Reviews

Yemen (Creation of the Modern Middle East)

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This book is part of a Young Adult (YA) series called "Creation of the Modern Middle East." All of the books contain an introduction by Dr. Akbar S. Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations, School of International Service, American University, in which he congratulates "Chelsea House Publishers for taking the initiative in helping us to understand the Middle East through this series."

I've read a couple now, and they are written in a newspaper-like manner (who, what, when, where, why): "Egyptian troops left in October 1967." and "Under strange circumstances, Ghashmi was killed by a suitcase bomb on June 24, 1978." (Actually, I wish the author had explained the 'strange circumstances' in the latter sentence).

Yemen's early history, when it was known as 'Arabia Felix' ('happy' or 'prosperous' Arabia), was quite unexpected (at least, to me). As opposed to ' Arabia Deserta' (Saudi Arabia), the plateaus of Yemen "possess abundant rainfall and fertile soil." Grain crops, beans, lentils, onions, and even cotton can be raised here. "The city of al-Mukha (Mocha) is famous for its coffee groves, which produce a fragrant strong coffee called mocha." An important caravan route called the 'Incense Road' wound through Yemen, transporting luxury items from East Africa, India, and China, as well as the frankincense and myrrh that was produced from Yemeni trees.

The Ottomans, Egyptians, and Europeans began a long struggle over Yemen beginning in the early 1500s. They wanted its coffee and the large port of Aden. This was the beginning of Yemen's long decline, and its sundering into two separate states.

"Both North Yemen and South Yemen eventually threw off the yoke of outside rule, but remained undeveloped and poor relative to many of their Middle Eastern neighbors."

In 1990, the two countries united and formed the Republic of Yemen. Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the current President. He ruled North Yemen from 1978 to 1990, and then presided over the reunification of North and South Yemen in 1990.

Although this book mentions the bombing of the USS Cole and other terrorist activity in Yemen, it tries to end on an optimistic note, praising President Saleh and hoping for a return of 'Arabia Felix.'

A more realistic view of Yemen comes from a newspaper editorial in "The Guardian" (07/27/09):

"A perfect storm of state failure is now brewing [in Yemen]: disappearing oil and water reserves; a mob of migrants, some allegedly with al-Qaida ties, flooding in from Somalia, the failed state next door; and a weak government increasingly unable to keep things running. Many worry Yemen is the next Afghanistan."

Although the author oversimplifies in places, and packs too much detail into others (the 20th Century is clumped with indigestible chunks of names and dates), this book is still an interesting introduction to a little-known country. Its photographs are well-chosen, and kept this reader plowing through some of the denser thickets of text.