Note: This paper appeared in the 6th Volume of the Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis in Spring 2011.

Excerpt
This paper seeks to answer the question of whether the U.S. should expand the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to execute targeted killings in Yemen. This is an important question for two reasons: 1) al Qaeda affiliates use Yemen as a safe haven for planning and executing terrorist operations, and 2) the current political upheaval in Tunisia, Libiya and Egypt is encouraging further demonstrations and protests in Yemen. To answer the UAV expansion question this paper will examine political instability issues in Yemen, recent Yemeni terrorist activities, current U.S. policy towards Yemen, previous use of a Predator drone in Yemen, and ways to improve Yemen-U.S. counter- terrorism cooperation.Continue reading (PDF)

About the author
William Mayborn is from Dallas, Texas, and received his bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and History from the University of Texas at Austin. William spent a considerable amount of time in China studying Chinese, teaching English, and pursuing business ventures. He is now currently pursuing his master’s degree at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station. His security study interests are in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, Afghan military issues, and Chinese security issues.