Yemenis voted on Tuesday February 21st, and after thirty-three years of authoritarian rule, Ali Abdullah Saleh was replaced as head of state by current Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi. It remains to be seen whether the winner of this one-man contest will cooperate with the United States on counter-terrorism.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has expanded its areas of control in Yemen. The Critical Threats Project has mapped out the locations of AQAP attacks between 2007 and 2011 to reveal this trend.

The news that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula nearly blew up a US aircraft last week is a reminder of its continuing strength.

The Arab Spring threw American counter-terrorism policy in Yemen into crisis. The challenge for policymakers is to develop a counter-terrorism policy that addresses Yemen’s new reality.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a deal aimed at ending nearly four months of political upheaval threatening to destabilize the country. How will this impact Yemen? And what should US policy be?

AQAP has displayed tremendous sophistication in tactics and propaganda, and it has distinguished itself as the most visible and active arm of al Qaeda currently operating.

The anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death last week focused attention briefly on the continued threat posed by al Qaeda Central. But what about al Qaeda's franchises elsewhere, like al Shabaab in Somalia? The viability of the threat these groups pose to the U.S. deserves more careful consideration than it has received.