By: centraljersey.com
MONROE – "Yemen: The Next Afghanistan?" will be the topic of a lecture at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Monroe Township Public Library at 4 Municipal Plaza.
Why does Yemen matter to the United States? In an illustrated presentation, professor Angus Kress Gillespie of the American Studies department at Rutgers University will present a snapshot of Yemen, the poor cousin of the oil-rich Arab world.
The country has struggled in obscurity for much of its modern, 20-year history. In recent years, Yemen has been of critical importance to the United States as a partner in the global war on terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic and financial areas.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been a strongman, very supportive of the United States, but he will step down in 2012, leaving the country open to significant change.
Yemen is a dry, overpopulated, poor and violent country that lives on borrowed time. It is difficult to see how even generous loans and assistance could keep an increasing societal disintegration at bay even during the next few years.
Likely effects of a societal disintegration are migration, famine, growing lawlessness and more.
Free tickets will be available at the welcome desk beginning Wednesday, Feb. 16.

