campesino
14th July 2012, 03:48
I recently bought and read The Soviet Union and the Yemens by Stephen Page, it is a scholarly book that did not sell many copies. It was published in 1985.
Most of the book talks about how the South Yemeni government, would receive Soviet aid and that the aid the Soviets provided wasn't very much.
Facts that made me happy and give me hope, is how there was a faction in the NLF that was more radical than the more moderate leader Qahtan Al-Shaabi who was president 1967 to June 1969.
From the book, speaking about the dispute between the 'leftist' faction and Al-Shaabi
The Dispute came to a head at the Front's Fourth Congress at Zinjibar in early March 1968. The left, presenting a radical program, swept all before it. decisions were taken to "begin immediately to form councils of workers [ aimed apparently at removing son of as-Shaabi's power], to carry out radical agrarian reform in the interests of poor peasants, to take effective measures to liquidate foreign capital and create a state sector, to purge the civil service and army, and to create a popular militia"; a special resolution was also passed on the necessity of developing friendship and cooperation with the USSR and other socialist countries. In a further resolution, the NLF pledged to "take up its historical responsibilities toward the Arab Gulf and all areas of the Arabian Peninsula for the elimination of the of the international imperialist and reactionary forces." Abd al-Fattah Ismail put the seal on this, the most radical program of social, economic and political transformation yet proclaimed in the Arab world, with a ringing declaration of class war. The leftist' program was Marxist with a South Yemeni face, and Moscow did not entirely approve.
The book also explains how the Soviets weren't very radical and did not want any "adventurist" around skipping "historical stages."
The Leftist didn't Gain much power in the PRDY because
from the book
Army officers, reacting to leftist demands for a thorough-going purge of their ranks on political grounds, staged a 'mini-cooup' on March 19, arresting many of the left leadership. As-Shaabi dissociated himself from this action and ordered them released, but used the confused situation to exclude the left from leading positions in the party and government. The resolutions of the Fourth Congress were not implemented, and the leftist retreated to their power bases.
The book says that the Chinese gave more aid to South Yemen than the USSR. It also speaks of the danger of South Yemeni reactionary emigres in North Yemen and Saudi Arabia attacking the border region of South Yemen.
In its course of history the lack of aid , pushes South Yemen to unsuccessfully attempt to establish good relationships with the Saudi Arabia and Gulf kingdoms. they didn't establish good relationships but South Yemen did get a portion of the aid the kingdoms had promised them. The soviets were also reluctant to give aid to the Dhofar Liberation Front(DLF), Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arab Gulf (PFLOAG). Mostly because The USSR was trying to establish good relationships with the gulf kingdoms and the Shah of Iran.
Most of the book talks about how the South Yemeni government, would receive Soviet aid and that the aid the Soviets provided wasn't very much.
Facts that made me happy and give me hope, is how there was a faction in the NLF that was more radical than the more moderate leader Qahtan Al-Shaabi who was president 1967 to June 1969.
From the book, speaking about the dispute between the 'leftist' faction and Al-Shaabi
The Dispute came to a head at the Front's Fourth Congress at Zinjibar in early March 1968. The left, presenting a radical program, swept all before it. decisions were taken to "begin immediately to form councils of workers [ aimed apparently at removing son of as-Shaabi's power], to carry out radical agrarian reform in the interests of poor peasants, to take effective measures to liquidate foreign capital and create a state sector, to purge the civil service and army, and to create a popular militia"; a special resolution was also passed on the necessity of developing friendship and cooperation with the USSR and other socialist countries. In a further resolution, the NLF pledged to "take up its historical responsibilities toward the Arab Gulf and all areas of the Arabian Peninsula for the elimination of the of the international imperialist and reactionary forces." Abd al-Fattah Ismail put the seal on this, the most radical program of social, economic and political transformation yet proclaimed in the Arab world, with a ringing declaration of class war. The leftist' program was Marxist with a South Yemeni face, and Moscow did not entirely approve.
The book also explains how the Soviets weren't very radical and did not want any "adventurist" around skipping "historical stages."
The Leftist didn't Gain much power in the PRDY because
from the book
Army officers, reacting to leftist demands for a thorough-going purge of their ranks on political grounds, staged a 'mini-cooup' on March 19, arresting many of the left leadership. As-Shaabi dissociated himself from this action and ordered them released, but used the confused situation to exclude the left from leading positions in the party and government. The resolutions of the Fourth Congress were not implemented, and the leftist retreated to their power bases.
The book says that the Chinese gave more aid to South Yemen than the USSR. It also speaks of the danger of South Yemeni reactionary emigres in North Yemen and Saudi Arabia attacking the border region of South Yemen.
In its course of history the lack of aid , pushes South Yemen to unsuccessfully attempt to establish good relationships with the Saudi Arabia and Gulf kingdoms. they didn't establish good relationships but South Yemen did get a portion of the aid the kingdoms had promised them. The soviets were also reluctant to give aid to the Dhofar Liberation Front(DLF), Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arab Gulf (PFLOAG). Mostly because The USSR was trying to establish good relationships with the gulf kingdoms and the Shah of Iran.