Yemen War – Saudi Arabia and the United States

Also known as the Saudi-Yemeni War or the “Saudi-Arabian led intervention in Yemen”(isn’t that a pleasant phrase to cherish), is the Saudi effort to support the government of Hadi and against Houthi forces. Originally started by a Saudi-led coalition military operation known as Operation Decisive Storm (don’t you love these titles that have all the profound seriousness of a video game), but then switched to a political process called Operation Restoring Hope (now it sounds like a ladies soap opera), and the combined sum of the actions have led to a humanitarian disaster which most countries believe is in violation of international law.

The situation in Yemen is about as clear as the situation in Syria, which means it’s about as clear as mud, and I don’t pretend to understand it. What I do know is that over 2 years over 16,200 people have died including 10,000 civilians. The Saudi bombing of civilian areas has been largely criticized by the international community. This has included the destruction of health care centers and other civilian infrastructure. A de facto blockade has prevented the arrival of food, water, and medical supplies. Over 2,500,000 people have been internally displaced and more than 1,000,000 have fled the country.

U.S. support of the Saudi Arabian intervention in Yemeni politics began in 2015 under Barack Obama. In 2016, Senators Rand Paul and Chris Murphy worked to prevent the proposed sale of $1.15 billion in arms from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. Many legal experts believe the U.S. is a co-belligerent in the war and therefore liable to be accused as part of any war crimes committed. In April 2017, Justin Amash, Walter Jones and other members of Congress criticized U.S. involvement in Yemen, highlighting that Al Qaeda in Yemen has emerged as a de facto ally of the Saudi-led militaries with whom the Trump administration aims to partner with. In July, Trump made headlines with a purported $110 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, which included a lot of future promises but does likely mean $12.5-25 billion in arms delivery in the near future.

None of us have the capacity to understand the intensity and multiplicity of military interventions the United States supports around the world. However, the main measurement is the objective failure of the destructive and divisive war efforts by the U.S. since 9/11. The world has become less safe, more divided, and more chaotic through the reckless use of force. Moreover, we continue to embrace a savage dictatorship in Saudi Arabia while pretending our actions have anything to do with freedom, liberty, and democracy. I hold us all accountable in the U.S. for permitting this wanton destruction to continue, but most of all I hold accountable the oligarchs for profiting and promoting the ongoing desecration taking place in the Middle East.

Peace @ClumsySilverDad

Source for Post:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian-led_intervention_in_Yemen