The Ismaels' treatment of South Yemeni politics brings to mind the Soviet analysis of Afghanistan since 1979: both rely on euphemisms (such as the "socialist transformation" of the subtitle), both emphasize statistical progress, and both substitute intention for reality. One would never know from the book's chirpy, optimistic language ("Social policy in the PRDY ... relates directly to the State's objectives of transforming society from the conditions of tribalism, feudalism and colonialism to the conditions of socialism and sovereignty") just what a wretched, oppressed country South Yemen has become in the past two decades. Nor does its measured tone ("the twin themes of anti-imperialism and social revolution dominate the foreign policy of the contemporary PDRY") reveal how the government has made the country a virtual colony of the U.S.S.R.
As if these faults were not enough, the authors have the gall to complain that other-Western analyses "distort the complexity and internal dynamics of South Yemeni society and politics beyond recognition." Don't take the Ismaels' word for it; if you want to learn about the country, read Robert W. Stookey's fine 1982 account, South Yemen: A Marxist Republic in Arabia.
