In Yemen, the entirety of society, including its political, economic and media elites, are concerned with one subject: the National Dialogue Conference that was launched on March 18, 2013. The dialogue caught everyone’s attention, including the international community, and the country’s elite exerted great efforts in its favor.

During such social events as weddings and funerals, people focused their conversations so exclusively on the dialogue that any other subject was seen as useless and out of context. Even those who refused to take part in the dialogue are also occupied with talking about its uselessness and absurdity. According to Southern Movement leaders like Ali Salim al-Beidh, it is a conspiracy fomented against the youth revolution and a way to circumvent the issue of the south.

At first glance, the dialogue seems useful. The concerned parties were preoccupied by it, leading them to lay down their weapons. It also seems like the dialogue will be comprehensive and will attract wide local attention. The truth, however, is a different matter.

The excessive focus on the dialogue has brought everything else to a halt. Other efforts that are probably more important for Yemen from the perspective of Yemeni citizens have gone down the drain. Additionally, the dialogue spared the government from having to answer tough questions. Instead, the government threw important tasks onto the dialogue table, especially since governmental officials were busy preparing for the dialogue as representatives of political parties instead of the government, as was the case with parliament.