It's been over a month since protesters took to the streets of Sanaa, Yemen's capital city, calling for the removal of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Opposition parties have joined the demonstrations and have said they would reject any offer from Saleh to form a unity government. Protesters also received support from Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, who the U.S. believes has links to al-Qaida, and has called for an Islamic state to replace Yemen's current government.

Protests continue in Yemen with thousands of people taking to the streets in cities across the country in the hopes of forcing President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. According to the Associated Press, 2,000 police officers faced off with protesters yesterday in the capital of Sana, firing guns in the air and blocking students from joining the demonstrations. We talk with Hakim Almasmari publisher and editor of The Yemen Post, who is currently in Sana, Yemen. 

With protesters in Egypt successfully overthrowing President Hosni Mubarak, following successful protests in Tunisia, we take a look at Yemen. That country has seen protests all weekend — not from the opposition but from the youth of the country, who have organized primarily via text messaging. Noel King, managing producer for The Takeaway, looks at why the U.S. should be keeping a close eye on what's happening in Yemen, as well as in Iran. 

As political unrest spreads across the Middle East, analysts here in the United States wonder whether and how U.S. policy has influenced the protestors. How does the U.S.’s increasing role in the Middle East since 9/11 — in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the Israel-Palestine conflict — relate to the current political instability in the reigon?

Following massive protests in Egypt and Tunisia, longtime president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, announced he would not seek re-election in 2013. He also pledged that he his son would not be his successor. The concessions come ahead of planned anti-government protests in Yemen today.

YouTube has removed a number of videos from its site featuring Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical cleric credited with recruiting extremists to commit acts of violence against the West. Awlaki, who is an American citizen born in New Mexico, is based out of Yemen and affiliated with Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. YouTube acted after American and British officials pressed for the videos to be removed.

The bombs found in UPS and FedEx packages last week have raised the issue of security screening for international cargo carriers. Since August 1st, 2010, all cargo loaded onto passenger planes in the U.S. is subject  to mandatory screening, but that isn't the case in many other countries. Only some of the packages traveling on cargo-only flights, on the other hand, are generally screened. Should UPS, FedEx and other shippers be doing more to safeguard air transport?

The discovery of explosive devices hidden on cargo planes bound for the U.S. has become a clear reality of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s strong presence in Yemen, as well as the Saudi Arabian government's increasingly necessary role in counter-intelligence in that region. 

A tip from the Saudi counter-terrorism intelligence agency was the key that led to the discovery of the bombs, which were destined for addresses in the U.S.

Ten years ago today, in the deadliest Naval attack in more than two decades, the USS Cole was bombed in Aden, Yemen. Al Qaida claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that killed 17 American sailors and injured 39 others. It was the first time many Americans had heard of the terrorist organization and Anwar al-Awlaki, the man who later be know for his involvement in the Fort Hood shooting and working with the "underwear bomber" in 2009.

The US may expand counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, to address a growing threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The CIA now believes that al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen may be more dangerous to U.S. interests than the much higher-profile group in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the aftermath of the Fort Hood shooting, the attempted Christmas Day bombing, and with names like Anwar Al-Awlaki becoming part of the everyday conversation on terrorism, more and more voices are beginning to feel that the branch of terrorists operating from Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, represents the largest terrorist threat to American interests and security. 

The CIA has shifted its focus from Afghanistan to a country it believes currently holds a more serious threat from al-Qaida: Yemen. That and this morning's headlines.

Rebels and pro-government forces clashed this morning in Yemen, killing 19 people. This is the latest in a series of violent eruptions, which are putting increased strain on a truce between the government and rebels. The violence also indicates that al-Qaida may be growing in strength in Yemen, where in the south of the country there's a separate insurgency involving al-Qaida rebels. The BBC's Jon Leyne describes the violence and the challenges of stabilizing a country with scarce resources. "The bottom line is that the country is in a real mess," says Leyne.

We are taking a closer look at the life of radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. In a video released over the weekend by al-Qaida in Yemen, al-Awlaki urged Muslims to take American lives. The cleric has a published discography to rival some rock stars, with over 100 CDs of readings and lectures to his name, not all of them incendiary. al-Awlaki was once known as a popular (and moderate) interpreter of Islamic texts on CD; speculation abounds as to exactly when and why he took a more radical turn. 

Saudi Arabia security officials said that they have arrested more than 100 militants suspected of working with al-Qaida to target oil facilities and security forces. 

At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, top intelligence officials said it is highly likely the United States will see an attempted terrorist attack in the next three to six months. But how worried should Americans be, and what does it mean that a threat is imminent?

We give you all you need to know about the news we expect to come in the next seven days. This week, we take a look at what to expect in President Obama's first State of the Union address. We'll also look ahead at how the president  is planning to stop what appears to be a tailspin for the Democrats; Ben Bernanke's confirmation as Fed chairman; the relief effort in Haiti; and the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

After al-Qaida militants were killed yesterday in Yemen and the U.S. embassy there closed due to security threats, how will the U.S. policy towards Yemen evolve next? We talk with Steven Erlanger, a reporter for The New York Times in Yemen, and Charlie Sennott, executive editor of the Global Post, about Yemen's changing role in the U.S. war on terrorists.

(Read Steven Erlanger's reporting from Yemen in The New York Times.)

The President's announcement of a link between alleged 'Christmas Bomber' Umar Farouk Abdullmutallab and al-Qaida in Yemen not only shed light on the real threat posed by international terror; it also raised awareness of the mobility of terror cells.  We're joined again by Peter Galbraith, former United Nations Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, as well as Paul Pillar, director of  the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and former deputy director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center. Both come on to discuss security in the age of franchised terror.

The President had initially pledged to close Guantánamo Bay within a year of taking office, but the challenge of how to move the detainees and what to do with them once they've moved is becoming an increasingly complicated problem. We talk with Vijay Padmanabhan, a visiting professor at Cardozo School of Law, about how best to make progress on closing the detention center. Dafna Linzer, a senior reporter for ProPublica, is following the President's efforts to close Guantánamo and she joins us with the latest news.

This week we take a look at the week ahead with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for our partner, The New York Times; and Jonathan Marcus, correspondent for our partner, the BBC.  They'll discuss President Obama's meeting with intelligence heads; the upcoming court appearance of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab; and Elvis Presley's 75th birthday.