Antigovernment protesters received medical help at a makeshift field hospital after they were attacked Friday in Sana, Yemen; photo by Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press

As reported today in the major news outlets, including The New York Times and Al Jazeera, the situation in Yemen is becoming critical. A few weeks ago I thought that President Salih would be able to ride the wave of protests, but the level of frustration and range of his enemies make that less likely with each passing day. Yesterday’s attack in Sanaa, which left at least 45 protesters dead, is a shock not only because of the number killed, but also because it suggests an overall strategy of violence rather than negotiation. Even if the killings were not ordered from the top, neither the police nor the army were protecting the people protesting or any other innocent Yemenis who happen to stray in the way of a bullet.

The details continue today, with ongoing clashes in Aden. Before that there were reports of people killed in Hodeidah. If one thing emerges from the political upheaval of the past three months, I believe it is that we should never underestimate the stimulating power of frustration to foment political change. As the world become more and more a wired village, fewer and fewer people are willing to have village idiots dominate their lives. The days of kings, sultans, dictators and presidents-for-life are measured. Their palaces must inevitably become museums to a past. Their legacies subject to the scrutiny of historians shaking their heads.

I have no crystal ball to know when the violence will end or how it will end. But it is clear that individuals who identify themselves with their nations as lifelong rulers are out of touch with the world as it has changed in most places and continues to change everywhere. But today words on a blog are not so important, except to the one writing them. Tears are called for when blood is spilled. If you want more words, but from Yemenis themselves,, listen to this.

Daniel Martin Varisco