The worsening security situation has prompted Yemen's neighbours and a number of Western powers to attend more seriously to the country's problems. It appears that the GCC and the US are ready to abandon Mr Saleh, but the US will generally defer to the more influential Gulf states (and in particular Saudi Arabia) to mediate a solution-a state of affairs that may well disappoint Yemen's pro-democracy activists. In the event that Mr Saleh is forced from office, the "Friends of Yemen" group, formed in 2010 and composed of Yemen's neighbours and a number of Western powers, would almost certainly reconvene in an effort to assist the country's transformation. In reality, however, international security concerns would remain predominant, with the US, for example, likely to launch occasional unilateral air strikes on specific al-Qaida targets if it felt that the new government was unwilling or unable to counter the terrorist threat.