Two years ago, Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, told fellow Arab leaders to reform, or risk being swept away in a global tide of democratisation. "Trim your hair now," he warned them, "or someone will shave it for you." Turning words into deeds, Mr Saleh, who has ruled since 1978, promised to retire at the end of his current term. Last week he changed his mind. Bowing to what he called "the people's pressure", orchestrated in nationwide mass rallies, he declared his candidacy for elections in September that are likely to prolong his tenure until the end of 2013.
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机译：两年前，也门总统阿里·阿卜杜拉·萨利赫（Ali Abdullah Saleh）告诉阿拉伯国家的其他领导人进行改革，否则有可能在全球民主化浪潮中席卷而来。他警告他们：“现在修剪头发，否则有人会为您剃毛。”萨利赫先生自1978年就开始执政，他的话语化为行动，他承诺在现任期满时退休。上周他改变了主意。屈服于在全国性群众集会中精心策划的所谓“人民的压力”，他宣布参加9月份的选举，这有可能将其任期延长至2013年底。
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