Ali Abdullah Saleh, the either current or former leader of Yemen, depending on who you talk to, vowed to leave the country for the United States to receive treatment for injuries suffered in an assassination attempt this June. The US has not yet responded to the request to allow Saleh to enter the country, and there are risks if it agrees.

A variety of links to articles/interviews on current topics that may, or may not, be of interest.

Headlines for Thanksgiving, or not.

The US military is the greatest military force the world has ever known. But that means that when commanded by civilian leaders with little regard for the rule of law, it can also become the most dangerous terrorist state the world has ever known.

The fact is that the entire US program of extra-judicial assassinations by drone requires a bit more study and debate, but this is especially true when the targets are US citizens. In that case, the Constitution comes into play, and the right of due process of the law. But we never really had such a debate when Anwar al-Awlaki was targeted for death by the US government, and now that the assassination has been carried out, it’s too late:

In the aftermath of the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009 by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) moved to increase airport security. Passengers flying “non-stop” to the US were subject to enhanced screenings, including in some cases a full-body pat-down. But, immediately, TSA realized that this placed an “extraordinary burden” on airports and airlines and TSA moved to develop a “regime” that would subject a “reduced pool” of passengers to “enhanced screenings.”

On January 13, 2010, it was announced a list of fourteen countries of interest. The list included: Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Iran (four countries on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism) and Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. The new regime meant all passengers traveling from any of the fourteen countries would, regardless of nationality or US citizenship, be subject to increased security and possible violations of privacy.

Newly published cables from WikiLeaks shed light on reactions from leaders of countries on the list.

The injured, exiled President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, could return to the country as early as tomorrow.

Apparently the blast that injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen was pretty bad. The BBC reports that he has shrapnel lodged near his heart, as well as second-degree burns to his chest and face. That would explain why his statement yesterday was on audio tape and not video. In that audio address, Saleh blamed an “outlaw gang” for the attack on the Presidential palace, and vowed to not leave power until the militant threat was stopped. But today, Saleh has apparently left Yemen for treatment in Saudi Arabia.

If the situation in Yemen weren’t serious, it would almost be comical. The trajectory of events is familiar. The Gulf Cooperation Council, an entity dominated by Saudi Arabia, comes up with a deal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave power after 30 days, with elections soon after, in exchange for legal immunity from prosecution for Saleh and perhaps members of his family. Saleh agrees to it in principle. The opposition agrees. Then Saleh raises some objection and refuses to sign the agreement. I think this has happened three times now. In the latest display, the opposition actually signed the document, going further than any previous deal. Saleh initially said he would sign it despite denouncing it as a “coup.” That should have been a sign.

The core of Obama’s speech aims to highlight the value of ordinary citizens sparking movements for change. But this focus is deceitful on many levels.