High-ranking officials in the Yemeni army have defected to the opposition.
Government ministers and ambassadors have resigned in protest after the President's crackdown on protesters last week.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh no longer has any long-standing support left. Even his own tribe is calling for his immediate resignation.
Saleh's promises of Democratic reforms have not been enough for the Yemeni people. Firing his entire cabinet in the wake of mass resignations has not been enough. The tribes throughout the region have had enough of his 32-year reign.
The mass defection of army brass and diplomatic might is a welcome development in the midst of the populist revolutions sweeping the Middle East. Many feared that military force in Libya, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia would stifle the swelling revolts which have already pushed out presidents in Tunisia and Egypt.
Yet the example in Egypt has served as the more accurate model. The army, already a popular feature in Egypt, sided with the protesters, refusing to fire on their own people.
After the initial military skirmished in Yemen, the army joined with the protesters instead of crushing the rebellion. Similar events have transpired in Libya's government. Libya's UN ambassador has defected, recognizing the provisional government stationed in Benghazi.
If this trend continues, perhaps the widespread unrest will influence military leaders in Syrira, Saudi Arabia, and the biggest obstacle to freedom in the Middle East: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs in Iran.