GCC can't afford a divided Yemen

There are three conflicts in Yemen today. The first is the war against the Al Houthi group, which has already spilled over the border into Saudi Arabia. The second is the separatist movement gathering momentum in the south. The third is the rapidly emerging threat of Al Qaida.

So if the United States and Britain are teaming up to tackle "the emerging terrorist threat from both Yemen and Somalia" in the wake of the failed Detroit terror plot and think the situation in Yemen will then be fine, they are mistaken.

There is no security solution to the deteriorating state of affairs in Yemen. Actually, a highly visible US intervention there will only boost Al Qaida.

Yemen is in dire need of a complete overhaul of the administration of politics and economy. It is also in need of a new infrastructure and modern health and education systems.

The country needs a long-term plan to turn things around. But the immediate action should come as assistance from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League. The GCC, in particular, cannot afford to have a divided state on its periphery that is becoming a nest for an extremist movement that poses a threat to security around the world.

The rise of Al Qaida was made possible by the two other conflicts, the war with the Al Houthis and the separation movement. Both conflicts have proven impossible to resolve militarily. The GCC can play a role by sponsoring binding deals to accommodate legitimate demands.

This is the first step. Other proposals, such as the US-UK anti-terror taskforce, only deal with symptoms and not the actual problem.