Private Nichols on his vehicle participating in the cordon
Photograph courtesy of Brian Harrington Spier
Yemen was a British possession as recently as the 1960s. It became its own soveriegn entity in that decade and due to its Western influence and traditions organized a republic. All these small Arab countries and some African countries 'give mixed signals' as to what their 'internal composition' consists of. Yeme;n while it was British; was sovereign to the Indian State of Great Britain. So, much of what can be seen in this picture in the way of uniforms for its military personnel look to have an Indian influence, that was the 'colony effect' of the West.
If I were to guess where Awlaki was living, it would be among the many islands of Yemen. He isn't on the mainland, at least I would not expect him to be there.
Yemen already has a history of a constitution that requires a republic government in support of the people of that nation. Saleh wasn't really conducting the Yemeni govenrment as a republic so much as a military dictatorship and it is why the Egyptian removal of Mubarak was so appealing to the Yemeni people. As counter intuitive as this may sound, I trust the people to make good choices to establish a BENEVOLENT government. No doubt the prison doors will swing open wide as there is a transition which will cause chaos and criminality all over again, but, I sincerely believe Yemen's people will come to terms with all that in time. To say "The West" is a trusted partner is not realistic, but, the current 'non-interference' (ie: Egypt) and 'upholding the dignity' (ie: Libya) of the people is a clear indication The West has changed its ways.
So. We'll see. I realize Saleh is still alive, but, I am not convinced the power structure in Yemen currently is loyal to him. I believe The West can count on a change in government regardless of Saleh's recovery.
