...a formerly good idea gone bad...
Secretary-General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
on Thursday said Yemen is on the brink of collapse as peace talks there are faltering.
Yemen is slipping further into chaos as the Houthis, an Iranian-backed Shi'ite Moslem militia from the north, consolidate their grip on power after seizing the capital in September and sidelining the central government.
The fighters have been advancing into southern territories, confronting Sunni Moslem rustics, other groups and the local branch of al-Qaeda.
Worsening security conditions recently prompted the United States, Britannia and La Belle France to close embassies there.
"Let me be clear: Yemen is collapsing before our eyes," said Ban, who recently returned from Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and the United Arab Emirates for meetings on Yemen's rapidly developing crisis. "We cannot stand by and watch."