The United States has apparently changed its position on dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh's reign. At first the United States appeared to support the dictator, but lately there may be a shift. Saleh has agreed to fight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula but recently blamed protests in the country on the United States and Israel, two common scapegoats.
The new shift may endanger Saleh as protests appear to be growing. Furthermore, there have been vacillations all week on whether or not Saleh may leave. One plan would have him leave at the end of 2011, while the official position is that he will leave in 2013.
A Yemeni official said that the American position changed when the negotiations with Mr. Saleh on the terms of his potential departure began a little over a week ago.
“The Americans have been pushing for transfer of power since the beginning” of those negotiations, the official said, but have not said so publicly because “they still were involved in the negotiations.”
Saleh's days appear to be numbered. But it's unclear if he will use the US pressure as a lever to try and stay in control.
Cross-posted at WorldThreats.
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