Maintaining U.S. Involvement in Yemen without Full Scale Military Intervention
by John Cochran
Download the Full Article: Breaking the Camel's Back
Yemen has long been a hot bed of unrest. Since its inception as a unified country in 1990, the northern and southern areas have strained to reject the other. Within these respective areas, the division is further amplified by the different tribal factions. The only element cementing the chaos together is a corrupt government headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. These facts created an optimum environment for al-Qa'ida to establish a refuge, as well as successful recruiting grounds for the organization. These combined attributes also create the potential for the US Military to become embroiled in another conflict that will cost needless lives, national treasure, and already meager diplomatic capital. Therefore, while the area does present a problem for the U.S. that needs to be addressed, it must not be addressed with full-scale military involvement.
Download the Full Article: Breaking the Camel's Back
CW3 John D. Cochran is a US Army Special Forces Warrant Officer currently assigned at Naval Postgraduate School pursuing a graduate degree in Defense Analysis. CW3 Cochran, formerly of 1st Battalion 10th SFG (A), has had Command and Staff assignments in Iraq, Europe, Afghanistan and Africa. He holds a BA in Intelligence Studies/SOLIC and a MA in Military Studies/UW from the American Military University. The opinions he expresses in this paper are his own and represent no U.S. Government or Department of Defense positions.
