Yemen copes with drought, population pressures, and the aftermath of terrorism
Yemen's ambassador to Canada since November 2003, Dr. Abdulla Nasher, sits on the sofa in his office and traces his career path to date. As a young man, he left the British protectorate of Aden in order to attend medical school in England, just as the colony was declared independent. As an expatriate student and doctor, he shuttled back and forth between two worlds for decades. He says, "I never thought that I'd be a diplomat. I graduated in medicine from the University of Liverpool, in England, and I worked in the UK as a junior doctor for some time. I went home, and then returned to England in 1975. I worked in the National Health Service. After getting a fellowship in Glasgow with the Royal College of Surgeons, I returned to Aden. I practiced surgery there until 1982, when I returned to Edinburgh. I was appointed Yemen's Minister of Health for four years, until 2001. During the years I headed the ministry, I left active practice as a surgeon, and it was difficult to go back to surgery after leaving it for such a long time. I was appointed to the board of Yemen's central commercial bank in 2001, and during the second half of 2003, I was offered a diplomatic post, and I chose Canada for two reasons: I like Canada, and Canadians, and my daughter and son are here, studying at university in Calgary."
Dr. Nasher admits, "I think my medical training has helped me a lot, as a diplomat and when I was a politician . Whether you are in politics , diplomacy, or business, it requires analysis, diagnosis, and then treatment. Also, being a medical student, you also study psychology, and that helps in approaching people and dealing with others. "
Yemen's ambassador notes that Yemen is highly affected by situations beyond its borders, particularly in the adjacent Horn of Africa. "Unfortunately, the region has been volatile for a number of years. The Somali problem has been going on for more than ten years, and has kept the country in chaos. Then, there was the Ethiopian and Eritrean war, which has had a negative impact on Yemen, because we are so close. We have deep historical connections to the Horn of Africa, going back 4,000 years. Historically , people have crossed back in forth in times of trouble, and in the present Yemen has 200,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and that adds to our burden. It's a humanitarian issue, and we have to look after them , but it is a big burden for a poor country."
In the Middle East, Yemen is a uniquely multicultural and multi-religious country, with historic Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Hindu communities which coexist peacefully to this day. Looking at the region, Dr. Nasher notes, "The Arab-Israeli conflict has been going on for half a century. We hope one day it will be solved. The recent problem in Iraq is a major concern for everyone. The intention of the United States was to change things in Iraq, to build a democracy that was going to be a model for the region, which obviously has proven difficult."
Yemen was formally reunited in 1990, when formerly Marxist South Yemen joined North Yemen, which had been an independent country since 1918. Tensions erupted in a brief conflict in 1994, when separatists in the South attempted to secede. On balance, Yemen has been able to carve out a nascent parliamentary democracy that is seeking foreign investment and economic growth in order to thrive.
Yemen's medieval cities are protected as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and its glories date back to the reign of the Queen of Sheba. An acclaimed traveling exhibition of artefacts relating to the mythic queen has been a worldwide sensation, although it still has not found a Canadian institution to sponsor it. Dr. Nasher says, "Yemen can be a very attractive tourist destination, but it is a poor country, and a developing country. We want to be an international partner in fighting terrorism, because we were one of the victims of terrorism. In 1998, terrorists kidnapped some tourists, two of whom were killed. That destroyed our tourism industry, which we were hoping would support the country economically. That's before the 2001 terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole in the seaport of Aden, and the 2002 oil tanker attack off our coastline. All of this has damaged our tourism industry. Terrorism is a disease that attacks everyone, and we need to unite to defeat it, like we united to defeat fascism in the last century. This recent fundamentalism, which has been using Islam as a cover, has to be defeated by all of us getting together."
Dr. Nasher recalls where he was on September 11, 2001: Actually, I remember that morning, I was in my office at the bank, reading The Economist. There was an article talking about the slowdown of the economies, in Japan and in Southeast Asia, and there was some indication that the American economy was not doing too well. There was concern raised in the article. In the afternoon, I woke up and my wife told me there had been an attack in New York and Washington. I was shocked and very sad."
The Ambassador places his country's relationship with Canada in perspective. He says, "Yemen is a poor country surrounded by affluent societies. We have a population of 20 million, with a poverty rate of 40 per cent. Sometimes it's useful to have rich neighbours, because a lot of Yemenis have found ways to travel to Saudi Arabia to find jobs, the country has benefited from the money they return. We have very little oil, but Yemen is rich culturally, with a 5,000 year history of civilization. One of my priorities while in Canada is to try my best to seek assistance for development in Yemen, and for building its democratic institutions. Canada has been very kind to Yemen, but not very generous. We are hoping for more from the Canadian government, through CIDA, particularly in the area of female education. We have a few Canadian companies working in Yemen. They are good, responsible corporate citizens, and are helping with health and development issues. We'd like to see a Canadian embassy in Yemen. At the moment, the ambassador in Riyadh looks after Yemen."
As the interview concludes, a tray of steaming Yemeni coffee arrives in the office. Dr. Nasher points to the cups of dark brew as an indication of his country's enormous cultural wealth and untapped future potential. He says proudly, "Yemen knew coffee before any other country in the world. Starting in the 16th Century, the British and the Dutch exported Yemeni coffee, and then the Turks did, during their occupation. The coffee was chiefly exported from the seaport of Mocha, which is where the world gets the name, mocha coffee. We are the only coffee producing country in Arabia. We have high mountains and warm wadis, although production has fallen in recent years due to a shortage of water. Still, our coffee is the best."