Woman Who Fell From the Sky - Jennifer Steil [143]
The bombing, we report, has all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda attack. Yet some sources suggest that it is the work of a new al-Qaeda cell, not of the veterans who trained in Afghanistan. Zaid writes a piece exploring the differences between the old and new al-Qaeda and why young men might be drawn to careers in terrorism.
Yemen is a fertile breeding ground for terrorists for many reasons. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a corrupt government. This corruption results in major inequities between rich and poor, fostering a strong sense of injustice. Despite significant oil revenues over the past thirty years, the government has failed to provide effective education and health services, sustainable water supplies, and reliable power to its people. The regime gives land and commercial contracts to its supporters while neglecting areas controlled by its opponents. Rumors abound that the president’s cronies profit from smuggling of arms, oil, and drugs; after all, little effort has been made to stop such smuggling. Exacerbating matters, a corrupt and incompetent judiciary makes it difficult to address grievances. No wonder people feel angry and impotent.
A weak government, poor intelligence services, and lax immigration procedures also mean that terrorists can operate more freely in Yemen than they can in stronger neighboring countries, such as Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has attacked terrorism with will, determination, and resources not found in Yemen and made it very difficult for terrorists to operate there—so many have moved to Yemen.
My staff reports all of this. I am bursting with pride in my reporters for continuing to generate story after story in the wake of the attack. It’s a huge reminder of how far we have all come.
NOW THAT ALI has taken over as copy editor, we fly through pages. Closing is faster than it was with Luke, who was rather Yemeni in his approach to closing times. Ali doesn’t loiter in the qat shed shooting the breeze with the guys, doesn’t vanish for four hours at lunchtime, and doesn’t chew at work. He even helps my other reporters with their writing, and they help him to conduct interviews in Arabic (which Ali speaks, but not confidently enough to interview government officials).
With the notable exception of Zaid, progress is all around. Sure, I still see atrocious stories. Editing itself doesn’t get that much easier. But there’s no denying the changes in every single one of my journalists. And that matters.
My grand delusion that I can spread democracy in the Arab world by loosening the stays of the Yemeni press has dwindled, as have my illusions that any story we write could have the smallest impact on government policy. But in the place of these lofty dreams are smaller, more stably built achievements. My reporters almost always use more than one source per story. They can integrate statistics into trend pieces. They’ve got a rudimentary grasp of ethics and journalistic integrity. Some of them even occasionally write a good lead. These modest achievements will outlive me. That is something.
Sometimes, when I look at my work at the newspaper and squint in just the right way, I can even see it as a microcosm of democracy itself. After all, every staff member participates in the creation of each issue. I solicit their ideas. I value the contributions of women and minorities. Of course, I wasn’t democratically elected, but what newspaper chief ever was?
ONLY AFTER THE ADRENALINE of writing about the bombing has worn off do I turn my thoughts to my own safety. Throughout all of my months in Yemen, all of my late-night walks through the Old City, never once have I felt in danger. Yes, men harass me constantly and everyone stares, but I haven’t felt threatened with violence. The Ma’rib bombing suggests that perhaps I’ve become too complacent. Just a couple weeks before, Koosje and Tobias had traveled to Ma’rib, to the same temple where the Spanish tourists and Yemeni drivers were killed. It could have been them. For a few weeks, my friends and others in