Of the two most famous men in modern Yemeni history, the first is the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh who attained power as a soldier without education, and the second is the famous diplomat Dr. Abdul Karim Ali Al-Iryani who hailed from a house of knowledge and wisdom; his uncle was the second president of the Republic of Yemen and he himself was an educated and cultured individual who chose to study Chemistry and Genetics in the United States.

Just like what happens in the films, the first is a villain who is protected and destroys and kills, and the second is the good person who decided to exile himself to live in Cairo and then Germany when war broke out between Yemenis. Two days ago Al-Iryani passed away in a hospital in Germany while Saleh remains to wreak havoc in Yemen.

Al-Iryani was always an important figure in modern Yemeni history and because Saleh did not have the capability to manage his own diplomatic activities, he used to rely on Dr. Al-Iryani, knowing that there was no one better than him in terms of his nationalism, liberalism and vast education. After the revolution, and the demand of millions of Yemenis for Saleh to leave office, the relationship between them was severed. Politicians fell back on Al-Iryani to engineer the ideas for change which included Saleh giving up power followed by a peaceful transitional plan, preparation for elections and the writing of a new constitution.

The Yemenis once again resorted to Al-Iryani after Saleh spoiled the transition plan and used his forces to seize power again. In response, he called for Saleh to respect the agreement and leave the party. However, reality does not resemble the fantasy of films and at the time that Al-Iryani was dying in Berlin from heart problems, Saleh was hiding in Yemen, refusing any solution that involved giving up power. Saleh did not get bored or tire and is considered one of the longest serving rulers in the world. All of this bloodshed and destruction is a result of his grip on power.