In Libya, the internationally-recognized government works from a hotel in Tobruk. In Yemen, the villa in Aden now housing the fugitive president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, may soon become the government headquarters. But as far as its functioning is concerned, the government of Yemen in Aden is likely to prove as ineffective as that in Tobruk, Libya. Sanaa, Yemen's capital, from which Mr Hadi fled last week, is under the control of the rebel Shiite Houthis who took over the city last month, dissolved the parliament by decree and placed the president under house arrest. Mr Hadi then resigned, perhaps under rebel pressure, and so did the prime minister and the council of ministers. Having escaped from Sanaa and now ensconced in Aden, Mr Hadi has now laid claim to the presidency. For the international powers trying to negotiate peace in Yemen, this is a major boost because without a legitimate authority, even a token one, it would be impossible to bring back 'normalcy' to Yemen or to push it towards a more representative government. A primary demand of the Shiite Houthis, who number 40 per cent of the population, is a greater say in government. Unfortunately, the means they have employed to realize this demand is both violent and opportunistic. Houthis have repeatedly laid siege on Sanaa in alliance with the forces of the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, deposed in 2011, and forced the government into compromises instead of using the democratic route. This could be because democracy has never had much of a chance in Yemen, which had its parliamentary elections as far back as in 2003. Mr Saleh had run an authoritarian government for decades. Mr Hadi, who replaced him in 2011 after the Arab Spring protests, was chosen president in 2012 in an election in which he was the sole candidate.

Mr Hadi has the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which wants the international community to consider the options of both economic and military intervention in Yemen. As in the case of Syria, both Russia and China are against such a move. The United States of America has no appetite for drastic actions either. But if things continue to slide in Yemen and endanger its operation against the resurgent al Qaida in Yemen, it might have to reassess its strategy.