The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

The Australian,

on Yemen back on the terror list

Even after a decade of watching al Qaeda inflict evil all over the world, it is impossible not to be alarmed by its appalling opportunism. There is no place on the planet where Osama bin Laden or any of his acolytes could raise their standard with any hope of attracting popular support. So al Qaeda attaches itself to other people's causes, using them as a cloak to plan mayhem and misery.

There is no doubting the importance of Islam in Afghanistan and the religious faith of members of the Taliban who defeated the Soviet Union and its client regime. But ever since, they have been in an uneasy alliance with al Qaeda, who brought the wrath of the US down on them after September 11, 2001. Now al Qaeda operatives have placed Yemen under a similar spotlight.

As in Afghanistan, the terrorists are attempting to take over a domestic war, which may have a religious dimension but certainly not of the kind al Qaeda imposes. In Yemen, Shia people in the impoverished north are in rebellion against the Sunni government in the south. As usual in such struggles, theology comes a distant second to geopolitics and regional powers are using the rebellion to suit their own interests. The Saudis are assisting the government and there are allegations that Shia Iran is helping its coreligionists.

But there is no doubt al Qaeda operatives are using the mayhem to impose their clerical code on the country's north, and use it as a new base to recruit and train terrorists. ...

Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky,

on Yemen's threat

Claims by the terrorist who tried to bring down a US airliner on Christmas that he trained for his crime in Yemen and declarations by the al Qaeda contingent in Yemen that it took responsibility for the attempt will focus attention on the deteriorating security situation and growing terrorist presence in a country about the size of France at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

That is appropriate, but there is nothing new about the troubling circumstances in Yemen. It was there, after all that al Qaeda suicide bombers attacked a Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, in 2000. That assault, preceded by al Qaeda bombings of two US embassies in Africa in 1998, was powerful evidence of the intentions of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda toward the United States.

Yemen is not now the failed state that Somalia and Afghanistan became, but it has been sliding in the wrong direction and it shares with those countries characteristics that make it an appealing breeding and recruiting ground for terrorism and religious militancy lack of national identity and cohesion, grinding poverty and a countryside that has long been lawless.

Its strategic location on the Red Sea and as a neighbour to Saudi Arabia makes it especially attractive to bin Laden and company.

The United States has been aware of the Yemeni threat, and the Obama administration wisely has increased counterterrorism operations in the country. According to The Washington Post, CIA and Special Forces personnel have been sent to train and assist Yemeni troops, spending for security help has been increased to $65 million this year and the US has provided some firepower. ...