Stubborn Poverty

Since Yemen has an annual income of $730(US-PPP) per person, you would think that they would welcome foreign aid. The Wall Street Journal reports otherwise.

"I am stunned how hard it is. We want to help people and there is an obvious need, but we can't seem to get through the bureaucracy," says the team's senior noncommissioned officer....

Based in the capital city of Sana, they report:

Just leaving Sana needed approval from a regional government and as many as five national ministries.

On the other hand, if they didn't have so many ministries of busybodies, Yemen might have a much stronger native economy and it wouldn't be in need of aid.