Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi meets with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas, Sana'a, February, 2013

Due to continuous postponements of the national dialogue – now expected to take place in March 2013 – Yemen remains largely unstable. Many fear that further delays or cancellation may result in serious insecurity or possibly civil war. President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi continues to face immense challenges in restoring peace and prosperity to the country. This has been spurred by the fact that many of the political parties have failed to take account of the representative quotas allocated to southerners, youth, women and NGOs.

This has led to general disharmony which left untamed may result in another uprising and further security issues. It is, therefore, imperative for foreign companies operating within the country to keep abreast of all the latest news and developments. Yemen Focus covers the big political issues that affect Yemen in the light of international efforts to prevent the country deteriorating to a point that could threaten this fragile state's stability.

The recent kidnapping of two Western citizens have heightened fears about the country's overall stability. On top of the threats posed by a secessionist movement in its southern and eastern governorates, and an intermittent rebellion in the north, Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) uses Yemen as a base to attack international interests and regional states. This, in particular, has focused global attention on Yemen but it is only one of several major problems that contribute to gloomy prognostications about possible state failure. It is vital that a support programme launched by Yemen's Western and regional allies succeeds in hauling the country back from the brink; time is of the essence.

Menas Associates, drawing on its long and deep experience of Yemen, takes the view that the country does indeed face formidable challenges but that there is sufficient time to deal with them if action focusing on the key difficulties is taken quickly. Looking beyond conventional news coverage, Yemen Focus provides both exclusive information and a balanced analysis of the very difficult political, economic and social environment in the country. It is essential reading for governments, international agencies and companies with vital interests there. For more information about Yemen Focus , please contact us here.