Historical Dictionary of Yemen

(Hardback, Third Edition)

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Yemen has experienced wrenching changes that have transformed the country in yet unknown ways. The country exploded in a popular revolution against the long-time rule of Ali Abdallah Saleh. While the country appeared to slip toward civil war, Yemeni political elite rallied with international backers to put together a transitional government with a plan to revise the countrys constitution. The transitional government began with a cautious sense of optimism and the prospect of substantial change for the better, but ended in collapse because of a failure to govern. The politics of the street overran an ineffective transitional government that could not address the urgent concerns of Yemeni citizens for security and jobs. Instead, populist leaders exploited peoples dissatisfactions and threw the country into civil war. The Houthi organization covertly allied with its former enemy, Ali Abdallah Saleh, to overthrow the transitional government and declare war on the rest of the country. Saleh seems unable to conceive of life outside of the Presidential Palace and his Houthi allies appear to believe they are destined to rule. Unfortunately, those opposed to Saleh and the Houthi also seem unable to provide effective rule in spite of massive backing from the Gulf States. The incompetence, infighting, and incoherence of the Hadi government bode equally ill for the future of the country. The one hope may be that a new generation of Yemeni leaders emerges to displace the dismal failures of this one. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Yemen contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Yemen.

Reviews

The long, internecine war in Yemen, begun in the 1990s, has dramatically deteriorated since the publication of the second edition of this reference work in 2009 (CH, Jun'10, 47-5397). Edited by Schmitz (geography, Towson Univ.) and Burrowes, the two major experts on this Arab Gulf nation, this third edition provides updated and expanded versions of the two earlier editions compiled by Burrowes. Among other new material, the third edition contains entries on Houthi and Salafi leaders and the "final dates" of individuals who were still alive in the previous editions. Like other titles in the "Historical Dictionaries" series, this work includes hundreds of entries on individuals, places, events, and institutions. The eclectic scope of the coverage is impressive, ranging from IMF/World Bank aid, monsoons, and water resources to Jews and Judaism in Yemen. An extensive chronology and introduction and an informative bibliography arranged by topic enhance the reference value of this important work, which provides superb background material about this historical yet under-reported nation. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. * CHOICE *
This updated edition, coauthored by two Yemen experts, begins with a chronology (1200 B.C.E.-April 2017), a list of acronyms and abbreviations, and an introduction that discusses the history; land and people; social and political developments since the 1970s; the civil war, 2015-2017; and so much more. There are approximately one thousand cross-referenced entries that use see references when necessary. Entries range in length from a short paragraph to several pages for a topic like religion. The bibliography, arranged by topic, is a valuable resource for users. This is an essential reference for users wanting to understand the current situation in Yemen, as the previous edition published in 2010. Recommended for academic and public libraries. * American Reference Books Annual *

Author Bio

Charles Schmitz is a professor of geography at Towson University. From 2004 to 2014, Dr. Schmitz served as president of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, spending most summers during those years overseeing work at the Institute in Yemen. Dr. Schmitz taught at the Yemen College for Middle Eastern Studies in Sanaa in 2013 and has been an affiliated scholar with the Middle East Institute in Washington DC since 2009. Robert D. Burrowes was an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Washington and at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) from 1990 until his retirement in 2003, and he continues to maintain ties with the JSIS.