Peter Hoskin

So long, Saleh?

The Middle Eastern merry-go-round takes another turn with the news that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has fled to Saudi Arabia. He has been promising to depart his role, if not his country, for some time now — but the wounds he allegedly sustained after an attack on his compound may have forced the issue. There’s always the possibility that he could return to Yemen after his treatment across the border, although it’s an unlikely prospect. The Saudis have already gone out of their way by granting this brutal dicatator some degree of clemency, without foisting him back upon his country. And Saleh will already have lost power and influence by accepting their help.

Don’t be swayed by the images of celebrating Yemenis, though: this is not yet a victory for the democracy-seeking Arab Spring brigade, and there’s every chance that it may never be.

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