Yemen
Reptile Commanders from Planet Debby
For anyone cognizant of Vladimir Putin’s backstory, his intrusion on the Syria matter has been one of those paradoxical demonstrations that “a stopped clock is right twice a day,” or the arguably more salient truism that “50 percent of what any...
Are American Drones Al Qaeda's Strongest Weapon in Yemen?
Things are getting really messy in Yemen at the moment. With soldiers being murdered in their sleep and embassies closing en masse in fear of an imminent wave of attacks and multiple drone strikes, the country seems to be the latest sandbox full of...
Yemen Wants Their Guantanamo Detainees Back
Of the 166 detainees who remain held without charge in Guantanamo Bay, 91 are Yemeni. It’s not quite as popular an issue as the drone strikes, but Yemenis still bring up Guantanamo on a nearly weekly basis. Many see the legal limbo of their fellow...
Yemen's Deposed President Has Built a Museum Dedicated to Himself
In addition to one pair of exploded jeans the ex-president was wearing when someone tried to blow him up, the gallery consists of some 2,000 pieces from 81 countries, mostly given to him as diplomatic gifts during his 33-year rule. I went along to gawk...
Who Is Causing the Blackouts in Yemen?
Beyond offering an outlet, the attacks on the electrical grid have a decent track record of getting results; as some see it, the whole thing is almost a sort of game. Tribesmen commit acts of sabotage with the goal of being offered incentives...
Yemeni Tribal Kidnapping Negotiations Are Surprisingly Civil
While the media tends to focus on the rare occurrences involving foreigners or those somehow linked to al Qaeda, the vast majority of kidnappings in Yemen are domestic tribal affairs that end peacefully without any government involvement. In the...
What Drones See
Until now, it’s been tough to visualize—indeed, to personalize—the scope of America's covert, hotly contested drone campaigns in the Middle East and Horn of Africa. That’s where Dronestagram comes in.
Who Is Alan Roberts, the Director of 'Innocence of Muslims'? We Think His Real Name Is Robert Brownell
Early yesterday morning VICE was anonymously furnished with documents that link a California resident named Robert Brownell (aka Robert Brown)—to the pre-production of 'Innocence of Muslims.'
Crossing Pirate Alley on a Yemeni Cookie Boat
After a week of lingering around in Aden, I secured a spot on a ship bound for Somaliland, transporting a quarter-million pounds of cookies.
Hell On Earth
Situated at the southernmost tip of the Middle East, just across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia, Yemen is the region's poorest country, and one of the more heavily armed Arab nations.