In the Introduction to Yemen: Dancing on the Head of Snakes, Victoria Clark states her goal: to write for western readers "an accounting of the roots and growth of jihadism in the wildest and most remote part of the Arabian peninsula." And this she has done. The book first gives an overview of Yemen's turbulent history from 1538 through 1918 - tribal culture, the clashes with other Arab countries, notably Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the British Protectorate at Aden. The rest of the book is about the next approximately 100 years, from 1918 to about 2010.

Clark is British but was born in Yemen when her father was a foreign correspondent. It is this fact that gave her entree to talk with many players in Yemeni politics and society. What emerges is a portrait of a nation that exists in symbiosis with powerful, and oftentimes, rivaling tribal leaders. According to one leader, Yemen is "a nation and tribes" and it appears these two are mutually exclusive. Tribal interests are in money and land; bribes, violence and nepotism are their hallmarks. They are so ingrained that when the Republic of Yemen emerged in the latter part of the 20th century the elected Parliament took a back seat to the tribes. The President described making deals deals as "dancing on the heads of snakes;" hence the title of this book, and the conclusion of Clark that the large number of jihadists in the country was farther down on government list of priorities, giving them a chance to thrive.

Yemen is, of course, a Muslim country. Although I haven't mentioned religious tension here, it is threaded throughout its tribal history. However, it isn't the main focus of this book.

This book provides a good background for our understanding of Middle Eastern politics. But it was slow reading for me. There is a lot of detail - be prepared to have Google maps and Wikipedia handy! ( )