This article on the Obama administration’s response to the protest movement against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh makes me question how much the assumptions underpinning U.S. policy has actually changed in the aftermath of the uprisings in the Middle East:
Taken together, these developments have raised increasing alarm in the Obama administration, which is in the delicate position of trying to ease Mr. Saleh out of power, but in a way to ensure that counterterrorism operations in Yemen will continue unimpeded. These developments may also help explain why the United States has become less willing to support Mr. Saleh, a close ally, given that his value in fighting terrorism has been diminished since demonstrations swept his country.
This suggests the rules haven’t changed all that much: The U.S. backs despots in client states until they are no longer effective for what the U.S. needs them for.
