April 20, 2012

A Simple Question

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

At the end of 2009, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi estimated that there were around 200 – 300 members of AQAP in Yemen.

Today, John Brennan suggested that group has more than 1,000 members.

This, as I’ve pointed out before, begs a very simple question: why the increase?

We know the US has been carrying out missile strikes in Yemen since December 2009 and yet the group continues to grow. Why?

My question to ponder for the weekend is this: Is the US approach to fighting AQAP in Yemen actually making the problem worse?

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