Sana'a

After 11 years of traveling to and writing about Yemen, American journalist and scholar Gregory Johnsen was nearly kidnapped there earlier this year. He says it’s a sign of how much more dangerous and unforgiving the country has become for Americans.

Laura Kasinof never expected to become a war correspondent, but her calm life in Yemen gave her a front-row seat to protests and violence as the Arab Spring reached the country. Now Kasinof has written a book about her experiences and shares her fears about Yemen’s future.

A protest in Sana’a led by a northern Yemeni tribe, the Houthis, became a military assault on the capital over the weekend. Now a UN-brokered peace deal will allow the Houthis into power and end the fighting, but the situation remains complex with sectarian and tribal disputes still simmering.

The Houthi insurgency may be low on the radar of American worries in Yemen, the but the Shiite group is now in the streets of the capital and fighting government forces. And that battle could hand an opportunity to the group Western nations are focused on: al-Qaeda.

One of the largest military offensives against al-Qaeda in Yemen, involving US air strikes and Yemeni ground troops, began about three weeks ago. At the same time, there’s been an uptick in the number of attacks, kidnappings and assassinations in Yemen’s capital. But the number of Western journalists there to cover it has dwindled to zero in recent days.One of the largest military offensives against al-Qaeda in Yemen, involving US air strikes and Yemeni ground troops, began about three weeks ago. At the same time, there’s been an uptick in the number of attacks, kidnappings and assassinations in Yemen’s capital. But the number of Western journalists there to cover it has dwindled to zero in recent days.