The removal of Ali Abdallah Salih as Yemen’s head of state was not madeofficial until late November 2011, following sixteen weeks of medical treatmentin Saudi Arabia and then his surprise return to Sanaa in September. On November23, President Salih finally fulfilled his months-long commitment to sign theGCC-sponsored deal transferring real executive power to Vice President Hadi. Thesigning ceremony required Salih to make a second trip to Riyadh, where herelinquished his powers under the watchful eye of Saudi King Abdallah. Hadirefused to join the disgraced president on his final state visit. Over the pastseven years, Salih had shown terribly bad form as the primary contestant in aform of politics where honor and respect can only be won by keeping the peacethrough clever and confounding ways. The president’s spectacular failurewas made painfully clear by a population of millions voicing disapproval in thestreets, carrying signs of protest and chanting slogans against the“murderous tyrant.” Until the end, Salih treated the streetprotests with derision. He felt the same way about the GCC agreement, which hecalled a coup d’etat and violation of Yemen’sdemocratic constitution. Over the decades, of course, he had rewritten thisconstitution to serve his own interests, using powers of decree withquestionable backing from parliament and fraudulent public referenda.