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    TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)Aleksander Chan
    1/21/15 10:19am

    One of the biggest weaknesses of our Middle East policy is our desire to "fix" situations like this. Yemen hasn't had a stable, effective self-government in over 500 years, and doesn't care to start now. Unless an empire (Ottomans, British, us) intervenes, any time the coastal, mercantile south gets too big for its britches, the Zaydi come in from the north and knock them out of power. This is just how Yemen works. It's ugly, and really inconvenient at a time when we can't afford to have unstable, half-governed territories where certain lawless organizations can seek refuge, but there's certainly no changing it.

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      PragmaticSquirrelAleksander Chan
      1/21/15 9:53am

      Sooooooo, when can we pack up all troops, embassies, and everything else, and just abandon the Middle East to sort itself out over the next century?

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        RaptorJawsPragmaticSquirrel
        1/21/15 10:26am

        When we are no longer dependent on oil.

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      BuickSuperAleksander Chan
      1/21/15 10:44am

      I'd wear this.

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        burlivesleftnutBuickSuper
        1/21/15 10:52am

        Seriously. The revolution will be sponsored by Ben Sherman®.

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        psybabBuickSuper
        1/21/15 11:17am

        You're gonna like the way you coup d'etat....I guarantee it.

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      zumzumAleksander Chan
      1/21/15 11:22am

      Hadi has been a major ally to the United States in the fight against al Qaeda, namely by allowing drone strikes on targets in the region.

      Also by keeping journalists in prison on Obama's orders (for being a good journalist and reporting on the drone attacks). See Jeremy Scahill's reporting on this:

      Why Is President Obama Keeping a Journalist in Prison in Yemen?

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        RussianistAleksander Chan
        1/21/15 9:53am

        Kleptocrats vs. religious fanatics, Sunni/KSA vs. Shiites/Iran: just another day in Arab politics.

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          Sean BrodyAleksander Chan
          1/21/15 10:02am

          This seems like a job for Bradley Cooper and a fake baby.

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