After reading about Yemen with great intrigue, I was not completely surprised when one of Mr. Horwitz’s first observations was of how many weapons were seen in this country. However, I was surprised at the per capita amount of weapons seen there. Each man had an estimated two rifles and at least two daggers. This reflects directly on the safety and stability of this country. In a country where a person feels that his family is safe you will not see such a dramatic sum of weapons. When I read further I realized that it was not just that this country was unstable in terms of violence, but it is also one of the poorest nations in the Middle East. This was extremely evident when he goes to get a rental car and finds that you may find cars in better shape in junkyards in the U.S. It makes complete sense that a nation so poor would be plagued with violence and assassinations of their political figures. Where there is poverty there is a greater chance of anarchy and the people tend to blame their government for their problems. Weapons can also be a way for people too gain money and power from becoming a main supplier of the weapons themselves and ammunition. Poverty and weapons add up to a nation in great need of a leader who improves the economy and the life of the populous.
PC
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I totally agree with PC. Not only does the carrying of weapons represent the instability of the places where they are carried but it is telling that acts of violence are considered normal and are are looked apon as an everyday occurence. Like PC said the extreme poverty that Yemen has is the biggest factor that is causing this violence. The rental car insedent is a perfect example of this poverty. The cars that are at the rental car dealer are in such poor shape and are so old that the Mr. Horwitz would be better off going to a junk yard. This poverty drives people to turn into animals that will do anything to protect the little that they have.
-RML
After reading about Yemen I completely agree with PC, not surprised at all by how many weapons there are in that country. From the news, the “terrorists,” and 9/11, Yemen seems to be a very violent country. I agree that there may be a lack of security which causes these families to carry an estimated two rifles and at least two daggers. I couldn’t agree more with the thought that there country is extremely unstable. Having said this, I disagree with the thought that the people will blame their government for their problems, seeing as they have been struggling now for many years. The government has not helped them, possibly because the people, as well as the government, fear change. No one will stand up against the government out of fear of being killed along with their families, and friends. With all the weapons in the country a civil war could be very explosive, and potentially kill many innocent women and children. While Horwitz was writing his book, Saddam Hussein was in power, leaving people fearful of speaking out against the government. Unfortunately, the Middle-East is a very radical and dangerous environment.
-C.W.
In the blog "Weapons and Poverty: The Yemen Plague" by PC, he brings up many important and interesting points. I couldn't agree with PC more. The men in Yemen have an estimated two rifles and at least two daggers, where in American walking around openly with any of those weapons would be considered dangerous to our society and be completely unacceptable. In America, such behavior would be considered dangerous, where in Yemen, carrying daggers and guns actually makes the society more safe. The point that PC made that I completely agree with is that Yemen men having to carry daggers in order to feel safe reflects directly on the safety and stability of their country. In America you wouldn't see such a dramatic number of weapons on a daily basis as you would in Yemen. This is because America has arguably a much safer society and is a much safer place than Yemen. Not only is Yemen unstable with violence, but its also one of the poorest nations in the Middle East. It makes sense that in a poor country known for a high violence and crime rate, people would carry a dagger on them. In America that would , for the most part, not be necessary.
-BC
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