Guest Thinkers

Major newspapers employ individuals who fact check their articles, including the opinion pieces of columnists, yes? Someone please enlighten me if this is not the case. I have written a […]

This depressed me. There is some controversy over an Israeli company signing a contract with the Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas Company to help on a project with the Liquefied Natural […]

… with this confused and contradictory article. I have no idea who wrote this, but whoever it is needs a better editor – can one really say: “The last thing […]

Waq al-waq has just learned that Hamid al-Ahmar will be a guest on al-Jazeera’s Bila Hadud on Wednesday. Watch, enjoy and then comment.

Given yesterday’s attack on Muhammad bin Nayif, I thought it might be helpful if I posted an excerpt from a talk I gave on August 19. The following is pasted […]

I was on al-Jazeera English yesterday talking about the recent attempted attack.

Postings will be even lighter than the new and reduced version of Waq al-waq, as I will be traveling for the next two days.

Ever wonder what happened to the two men Yemeni security forces captured back in August in a raid on an al-Qaeda safehouse in Tarim, which killed Hamza al-Qu’ayti and four […]

Today we would have seen parliamentary elections, but they were postponed, so instead, like everyone else, I’m waiting to see the results (if any) of today’s goings on in Abyan.

In today’s Guantanamo files it appears that not only is al-Shihri still suspected of being involved in the September 2008 attack on the US Embassy (hopefully, returning readers know how […]

I’m heading off for a few days of what I like to think is a much-deserved vacation later today, which means that postings will likely be sporadic over the next […]

I respect Abdul Hameed Bakier’s take on Islamists and al-Qaeda, and I’ve always gotten along well with him, but for me this article is lacking his usual nuance, which often […]

Despite the headline of this piece from Reuters, Gilles de Kerchove actually makes some very sober points:“I was in Yemen a month ago. It’s a state that really needs to […]

Yemen’s Ministry of the Interior has put out yet another wanted list. This time of 150 leaders of the so-called “Southern Movement.” Headlining the list as this Mareb Press brief […]

Given some of the comments that have shown up on the blog over the past few days, Waq al-waq has decided to disallow anonymous comments. While we encourage different views […]

Mareb Press is reporting that there is an initial deal or rather the framework of an initial deal to delay parliamentary elections for two years. This is not all that […]

Brian is now a cog in the federal justice system so it is up to me to carry the weight, at least for today.Husayn al-Jarabani of al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that […]

It is nice to see the readership of Waq al-waq so on the ball as I’ve temporarily stepped away from the wheel – no need to worry Brian is an […]

Waq al-waq has added a new blog to our links. This one is run by Haley Sweetland Edwards and Paul Stephens.I met Haley at an OPC event last year and […]

One of the things I most enjoy about blogging and about Waq al-waq in particular is the questions and discussions that often build off of posts. I have seen the […]

Below are books I recommend on Yemen, divided into four categories based on nothing other than my own biases.General/Accessible:Yemen: Travels in Dictionary Land, Tim Mackintosh-Smith(US Title: Yemen: The Unknown Arabia)My […]

As promised Waqal–waq is bringing you yet another discussion of an article from Sada al–Malahim. Today’s installment is: “The Apostates: Stages of Confrontation.” The term used in the title, al–rafida […]

Below we discussed some of the security implications for the rising price of food in Yemen. Here, briefly (I hope) are a few things that show just how bad the […]

To me, the most worrisome sign is the rapidity of turnaround time. I really doubt that the plan was “attack a group of tourists, and then when the delegation comes […]

I caught a bit of the video of the protests in al-Dhala’ this morning on al-Jazeera streaming video. Al-Tagheer is reporting that at least seven people were injured. Meanwhile the […]

I don’t have time for much more than a quick up-date on the war in Sa’dah – I return home on Friday and hope to have more time to write […]

News Yemen helps to explain the strategic importance of Jabal Dukhan and gives a bit more information, which is helpful since the mountain is not in my mu’ajim al-buldan.

I have some unexpected free time this morning, so I thought it would be nice to return to the short-lived morning papers segment of Waq al-waq.US Secretary of Defense Robert […]

According to multiple stories Yemen arrested the Saudi national Hassan Husayn bin ‘Alwan on Friday in Marib. All of these stories are claiming that ‘Alwan is a “major financier” for […]

Thanks to all the readers who have been commenting as of late, it is nice to know that Waq al-waq isn’t (solely) an echo chamber. Yemen features prominently, if invisibly, […]