The West’s protestations about human rights sound hollow when one looks at Yemen where the U.S. and U.K. place profits from arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the carnage those weapons are inflicting, as Alon Ben-Meir explains.
By Alon Ben-Meir
It is hard to imagine that along with the catastrophe that has been inflicted on Syria for the past six years, another calamity is unfolding in Yemen of damning proportions while the whole world looks on with indifference.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive to the Murabba Palace, escorted by Saudi King Salman on May 20, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a banquet in their honor. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
What is happening in Yemen is not merely a violent conflict between combating forces for power, but the willful subjugation of millions of innocent civilians to starvation, disease and ruin that transcends the human capacity to descend even below the lowest pit of darkness, from which there is no exit.
Seven million people face starvation, and 19 out of 28 million of Yemen’s population are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Both the Saudis and the Houthis are restricting food and medicine supplies from reaching starving children; many of them are cholera-ridden, on the verge of joining the thousands who have already died from starvation and disease. More than 10,000 have been killed, and nearly 40,000 injured. UNICEF reports nearly 300,000 cholera cases, and a joint statement from UNICEF and the World Health Organization declares the infection is spreading at a rate of 5,000 new cases per day.
The Associated Press documented at least 18 clandestine lockups across southern Yemen run by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Yemini forces, where torture of unimaginable cruelty is routine. The torture of prisoners is reducing them to less than an animal ready for the slaughter. One example of such extreme torture is the “grill,” in which the prisoner is tied to a spit like a roast and spun in a circle of fire.
Another method of slow death is where detainees are crammed in shipping containers and guards light a fire underneath to fill it with smoke, slowly suffocating detainees. Prisoners are blindfolded and shackled in place in a box too small to stand in for most of their detention. Constant beating by steel wires is common, which often results in the death of the detainee. As Dostoyevsky said: “People talk sometimes of bestial cruelty, but that’s a great injustice and insult to the beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel.” The US has been aware for some time of allegations of torture, but professes that there have not been such abuses.
Moreover, the blockade of imports of food, medicine, and fuel, which Yemen is completely dependent on, is making the situation dire beyond comprehension. If humanitarian aid is not provided immediately, millions of children will starve to death, even though the international community is cognizant of this ominous situation.
The conflict escalated in March 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition (including Bahrain and Sunni-majority Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan, Qatar, and the UAE) began a military operation to restore the internationally-recognized government of Abu Rabu Mansour Hadi to power.
The Saudis’ targets are the Houthi forces, who are a Zaydi Shiite Muslim minority and have been fighting for control of the country. They are loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed in 2011 following a popular uprising instigated by the Arab Spring.
Houthi Grievances
The Houthis have suffered immense discrimination, and their grievances have been addressed neither before nor after the Gulf Cooperation Council’s March 2013 initiative that launched a National Dialogue Conference, which failed to resolve the dispute over the distribution of power.
Saudi King Salman bids farewell to President Barack Obama at Erga Palace after a state visit to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Houthis joined forces with Saleh and expanded their influence in northwestern Yemen, culminating in a major military offensive against the military and a few rival tribes in which they captured the capital Sana’a in September 2014. The Saudis’ bombing against the Houthis has been indiscriminate: schools, hospitals, homes, marketplaces, weddings, and even funeral homes were targeted to maximize casualties, egregiously violating the laws of war and continuing to do so with impunity.
The Saudis claim Iran is behind the Houthis’ rebellion. Although Iran and the Houthis adhere to a different school of Shiite Islam, they share similar geopolitical interests. Iran is challenging Saudi Arabia for regional dominance, while the Houthis are the main rival to Hadi and the U.S.-Saudi backed government in Sana’a. For the Saudis, losing Sana’a would allow Iran to exert major influence in the Arabian Peninsula in addition to its alliances with Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The Saudi coalition is meant to signal to Iran that it will not be allowed to gain any influence in Yemen.
The U.S. along with the United Kingdom have for many years been selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, which are now used to attack Houthi-held areas. The UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan received licenses to sell and service American-made military helicopters for Saudi Arabia, which sends a clear message to this unholy coalition that they can kill with impunity.
U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd shamelessly said [selling arms is] “good for our industry” — not an acceptable reason to sell offensive weapons that kill people indiscriminately. Nevertheless, the U.S. does have national security and economic interests in the Arabian Peninsula: particularly, it seeks to ensure free passage in the Bab al-Mandeb, through which 4.7 million barrels of oil pass each day; and the support of a government in Sana’a that would cooperate with US counter-terrorism battles. That said, the U.S.’ direct involvement in the conflict makes it complicit in the coalition’s violation of the laws of war, and top U.S. officials could be subjected to legal liability.
Sadly, the Trump administration has forfeited its moral responsibility by not insisting that Saudi Arabia, over which it exercises tremendous influence, open the ports to ensure that enough food and aid enters the country, without which millions will starve to death.
Bad to Worse
The conflict is going from bad to worse as international efforts to press both sides have been woefully inadequate, and media attention is nearly absent. Continued fighting will further fuel the struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and contribute to other regional conflicts. Moreover, the prospect of finding a peaceful solution is becoming increasingly difficult and laden with uncertainty, as the Trump administration believes that a solution lies with more military force. Trump justifies his bellicose approach as he sees Iran as the culprit who is raging a proxy war against the Saudis and benefiting from continued instability.
For these reasons, the E.U.’s neutrality has allowed it to maintain contact with all the conflicting parties, and is best positioned to build on its credibility to persuade both sides to agree on a ceasefire and settlement. The Houthis want to negotiate with someone with authority rather than a mediator, and refuse to have talks with U.N.-appointed envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, who they consider to be biased. They also view the U.S. and the U.K. with suspicion, as they are the chief suppliers of weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Although France and Britain are supportive of the military campaign, they can be coaxed by the E.U. into introducing a UNSC resolution that must first, focus on a ceasefire; second, address the humanitarian crisis; and third, work on a permanent solution that would take the Houthis’ interest into full account. As Gandhi once observed: “Three-fourths of the miseries and misunderstandings in the world will disappear if we step into the shoes of our adversaries and understand their standpoint.”
The conflict in Yemen can end only through a political solution, as no solution secured by force will survive. The Trump administration must learn from Iraq and Syria’s intractable violent conflicts, which could not be resolved through military means. To resolve the conflict in Yemen, the U.S. must join hands with the E.U. to achieve a peace agreement and put an end to the unconscionable tragedy inflicted on millions of innocent people.
Just take a look at the eyes of a starving, sick, and dehydrated little child whose heart is just about to stop. Multiply this image by tens of thousands and ask yourself, where have we gone wrong? We have gone wrong because it has been long since we lost our humanitarian and moral compass.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. [email protected] Web: www.alonben-meir.com
Salam to you guys
first I saw some mistakes in article ;
1- you said Houthis are loyal to Ali abdollah Saleh , however ; they involved in revolution against him in that time , just look at their flag among protesters .
2- Mansour Hadi is not Yemen president more . after revolution he appointed as president but he resigned from Presidency in that time revolutionary committee rejected her request then he escaped to Saudi and disaster started .
and then do you really think saudi pupets or their Iron-hearts masters ( US , Israel , England ,…) are not aware about what is going on in Yemen _ the poorest mid-east country_? the corpse of their affection won’t be revived by these tragic offers . of course war is bad but when you see world deaf and blind in front of cruelty that imposed on your country , you should fight for your right .
thank you
“Just take a look at the eyes of a starving, sick, and dehydrated little child whose heart is just about to stop. Multiply this image by tens of thousands and ask yourself, where have we gone wrong? We have gone wrong because it has been long since we lost our humanitarian and moral compass.”
A good article until this came along. Everything is explained rationally and then the author goes all “UNICEF” on us like those inane ads on TV during Christmas asking you to donate money for children in Africa, underlined with little African children sadly staring into the camera or waving cheerfully from a new school or something… A building they could’ve probably built by using the funds for the ad for the actual people instead of employing a few selfimportant do-gooders running around the 3rd world.
The problem is that the EU can’t really help anymore, since it’s already reeling from the massive influx from migrants from Africa and the Middle East, many of whom aren’t even real refugees. And most politicians here in Europe have realized that further involvement, which might bring even more migrants to Europe, isn’t going to win any elections. The USA is far away and is unlikely to be swamped with migrants and refugees coming to its shores, so it has the luxury of acting without having to deal with any real consequences. The same applies to the UK.
The sad truth is that no one cares about Yemen and its people, just like no one really cared about the Tutsi in Ruanda until about a million were dead and almost wiped out. And the media has played its part in making this possible, since regularly checking Trump’s Twitter feed, hounding and sueing people on the internet because of memes and reporting on Kim Kardashian’s ass is seemingly more important to them.
The Council for National Policy is a highly secretive group of mainstream conservatives and extremists.
Members of this Theocratic organization gathered to “lay hands” on Trump in a White House prayer meeting sometime before the POTUS’ flight to Paris.
The CNP is another powerful, yet mostly unknown, wealthy right wing political group who gather under the banner of “Evangelical Christians”.
It behoves us to know them, as their members have tentacles in and are allied with multiple other rightist organs that are hell-bent against Democracy.
MAGA is the road to perdition and the right wing is driving the ‘ship-of-state’.
The war, which probably would not have occurred without yankee support of the Saudi monarchy, is one of the major crimes occurring today.
Thanks, Skip, always good to hear from you. Patrick, incorrect grammar, for “countries” one should use “number”, not “amount”. “Amount” is used for “volume”, like in sugar. (I couldn’t resist.) And Bob, I couldn’t agree with you more. America will pay a heavy price when the karmic scales fall. Morality has climbed out the window.
Hi Jessica, thanks for the correction. Agree that proper English should be used but the error was not intentional. You remind me of my English teacher. She was great in languages but horrible in math. Do you have the same level of proficiency in other languages as well?
America’s disgrace is our world championship of ignorance.
Not only ignorant, we splendidly attack anyone who dares utter the truth.
There is no hope for us, and there will be no mercy when the dollar fails.
I once worked with a woman who, in conversation about arms sales to the Contras, said she would have no compunction about selling armaments if it meant she could afford to pay her high house mortgage and send her kids to college on that money. She was secretary to a top eye surgeon who, incidentally, escaped the Nazis. This is the kind of delusion that pervades thinking (if you can call it that) in America.
She was healthy, lived in peace, had a safe job, supporting the sick people, she could say whatever she wanted, she had kids and could them send to college. Wow! The amount of countries in the world that have these conditions are limited.
He’s baaack.
Well Scott, there are a lot of frustrated people on this blog (some are living in an alternate reality and could be kidnapped by aliens from area51) and if nobody on this website is offering some common sense, well then it will be like a Russian website but where trols are not cursing, scolding (Russian mat) and are writing proper English.
The refusal to fully see and acknowledge the Evil being done in the world is the illness we must be healed from. Truth is the only effective medicine. Then our Love can be real.
The torture being done elsewhere in the world is also happening here in America. In our prisons and black torture sites like the one run by Chicago police, Americans are experiencing the hand of the Evil Oligarchs who are behind the nightmare of Empire. For these Ghouls, truth and love for others are the enemy to be ruthlessly persecuted. All their policies have this sinister purpose behind them.
No more late night movies for you mike.
Although that I agree with a principal viewpoint, we should be realistic. Truth should be said but that means that we should start with freedom of speech, freedom of press, democracy and fair elections.
From the article:
“The Associated Press documented at least 18 clandestine lockups across southern Yemen run by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Yemini forces, where torture of unimaginable cruelty is routine. The torture of prisoners is reducing them to less than an animal ready for the slaughter. One example of such extreme torture is the “grill,” in which the prisoner is tied to a spit like a roast and spun in a circle of fire.
Another method of slow death is where detainees are crammed in shipping containers and guards light a fire underneath to fill it with smoke, slowly suffocating detainees. Prisoners are blindfolded and shackled in place in a box too small to stand in for most of their detention. Constant beating by steel wires is common, which often results in the death of the detainee. abuses”. The US has been aware for some time of allegations of torture, but professes that there have not been such abuses.
U.S., U.K., and France are supporting all this through their Saudi friends. It just shows what kind of “Freedom and Democracy”, the West is spreading. I wonder what is in store for Syria! It is not over yet.
If I was a betting man, I’d wager that Obama/Hillary followed that line precisely.
Saudi Arabia is a crappy nation. A recent headline about events on the east coast:
“Snipers Injure Scores of Civilians in Saudi Arabia’s Qatif”
Saudi riflemen are terrorizing Shia civilians in the town of al-Awamiyah. The text uses the word “village”, but around here we call populations of 25,000 “towns”. The place is overcrowded, and the Saudis are bulldozing buildings in what I’d call “Shia Removal”. Now how in the world would they have learned that? Casual murder of evil civilians having the “wrong” religion and tearing down the houses of the survivors. Yes, that does ring a bell.
http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/snipers-injure-scores-civilians-saudi-arabias-qatif/
Nice diversion. Your diversion, let us remember everyone in Yemen, yet your POS president denies refugees from Yemen. Try again,
What concrete policy is Trump promoting to get worthy Yemenis, and Somalis in this country? Check your attitude at the door
Trumps policy is America first,…and I don’t think that Yemen was second. Believe that the Dutch were second. Trump promised jobs jobs jobs at home. The US voter wanted it, so I guess the arms industry is booming. Maybe the democrats would have done things differently but Russia didn’t like Clinton.
Can’t help but think of some of Cole Porter’s lyrics to Anything Goes: “Times have changed…
The world has gone mad today
And good’s bad today,
And black’s white today,
And day’s night today,
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux…..
Anything goes….
Just think of those shocks you’ve got
And those knocks you’ve got
And those blues you’ve got
From that news you’ve got
And those pains you’ve got
(If any brains you’ve got)
From those little radios.
Anything goes.
Is it just me or does the Saudi Flag look just like an ISIS flag in the low-light Photo?
Of course Elijah, it is just you! Fresh sunlight afk should help. (Wondering how you would do in the Rorschach test…)
Welcome to the Empire of Pure Evil. It’s name is the United States of America. It was founded on genocide and slavery, and it continues that proud tradition around the world. But most of the people who live in this Empire of Evil, refuse to look at it’s crimes and see it for what it is. They eagerly imbibe the lies that tell them they are exceptional and righteous beings, the salvation of the world. They worship their military killing and torture machine, and hail it’s soldiers as heroes. This is the real nature of Evil in our world today. It is shrouded in lies and denial, and self-congratulatory fantasies. It is sickening and horrible beyond belief. Can you see it? Can you smell it’s foul stench rising to heaven??
That stench includes the odor from the rotting bodies of all the innocent children dying from cholera and starvation in Yemen. Arms merchants are ghouls who profit from death. You know who the biggest arms merchant in the world is? That would be the most Evil nation, right? We know who that is, don’t we?
You know who the biggest owners and contributors to the MSM are? The arms merchants of course. Now you know one reason why the MSM beats the drums of war so loud. The other reason is that the MSM itself make enormous profits in war times. You see. the MSM folks are also ghouls.
Next time you see the nice looking men and women on the MSM putting out their lies, see if you can realize that they are really ghouls disguised as normal people. Scary but true.
Your congress persons are also in disguise as normal folks. Painted ghouls. Whited sepulchers.
Well now you have described “evil incarnate”! quite specifically, Mike.
(I think I got it right this time.)
Indeed. Thank you Virginia. I love you.
Back at you. Thanks.
Hi mike, newsflash: all countries had some form of slavery in their past. All countries hail their soldiers as heroes. Most countries even have military parades on their national holiday. So I don’t smell any foul stench based upon those arguments. The situation in the middle east is mostly shiite versus suni and brutal as those muslim countries are I don’t see any easy solution. Stop selling weapons? Sure, but then other countries should also stop selling weapons and not only to SA but also to their enemies,…as you see, the solution is not so easy and obvious as you may think.
“The conflict in Yemen can end only through a political solution, as no solution secured by force will survive.”
I wish it were the case, but the other possibility is utter obliteration of the Houthi. The Saudis have the arms, and they are not being held accountable. So much for the USA defending our core values, unless you define our core values as those of the devil incarnate. And more of the world’s population see us as just that with every passing day.
Hi all,
it is just too depressing…men with guns.
Below are two videos of the crimes being done in Yemen. I came across them while on a link I found via voltairenet. I’ve heard that they aren’t tactical nuclear weapons, but what do I know.
It’s some terrifying stuff. Not a peep from MSM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myy7IQphmPM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99b7iPDFML4
media attention is nearly absent….deliberately absent.
Can’t CN not do something about it. Thought this was independant?! Lets stick a microphone under the nose of a politician and ask him what he plans to do about it?
Robert Parry would get a violent bum’s rush from the premises if he ever could manage to get a microphone in front of any power player.
Ray McGovern can tell you all about how the cops, knew who he was. You bet Mr. Parry is just as recognized by the goons if unknown by the public.
Free press my ass, all the major media news is fake news, and that’s how they like it.
Saudi Arabia is in a lot of debt. They cannot continue fighting the war with Yemen, but as someone in one of the above videos said, Saudi Arabia has always had their eye on Yemen because Yemen has OIL.
This is not about Saudi Arabia versus Iran, Shiite versus Sunni, etc. This is what all wars are fought over – resources – and in this case it’s oil.
The world elite don’t want governments with their own minds (and they certainly don’t want people with their own minds). They want pliable leaders who will make sure that their interests are secure and the loot travels in one direction. They don’t want democracies that start handing out some of their oil profits to the people. Hello! Those people meet tragic deaths (Gaddafi).
If Yemen didn’t have oil, they’d be just another dot on a map. Of course, with all attention on the wars in Syria and Iraq, no one is really paying attention.
Yes, you said it perfectly. Look at the previous president of Iran, he had his own mind and didn’t care about riches. USA put him out as a crazy man and president of Syria made out to be a horrible dictator. Not to mention the numerous leaders throughout South American countries taken out due to not following what big industry of the world wants. President of Russia chooses to think for himself and what he believes is right. Well we all know how that’s going.
A extra fyi….Qatar and Iran share the world’s largest gas field….Saudi going broke–now on rampage for $$$ resources to keep up the throne.
The Qatar-Iran gas field behind the diplomatic war in the Middle East …
http://www.haaretz.com › Middle East News
Jun 7, 2017 – Qatar is the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas … world’s biggest natural gas field, which it is shares ownership with Iran, … Iran’s oil minister also vowed this March to ramp up production of its part of …
More info on Yemen at link below:
————————————————————————-
The U.S.-Backed War on Yemen Continues
By DANIEL LARISON • July 11, 2017, 11:06 AM
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-u-s-backed-war-on-yemen-continues/
Odd how things in life change, from what you once thought it was. Growing up I remember the movie and all the fuse about treating enemies as human beings, when I saw the Nuremberg Trial movie with Spencer Tracy. That was when we were to believe that GI Joe was a welcome sight, as he liberated towns and villages, and handed out gum to the war ravished children who flocked around their liberating hero. Then came Vietnam, and Seymour Hersh reporting the gory details about Mai Lai, and how shocked and ashamed we all felt hearing of this massacre done in our American name. We Americans soon come to the reality, that rather than us being a bunch of John Wayne’s we were rather the evil we thought we were fighting against. But as they say, time heals all wounds.
If, and when, you wish to pick on our MSM, Yemen just maybe a good place to start with your complaining. Here we are six months into having a new president, and all news has been preempted by the all the time, all day, all night, 24/7, Trump did this, Trump Tweeted that, and Trump, Trump, Trump, until your head explodes, but nothing about poor Yemen. If Yemen is mentioned, our media turns to bashing Iran, and claiming that Yemen is a Saudi war. No mention of the U.S., only that Iran is bad, and that the U.S. is there to help with humanitarian aid. Seriously, that’s how it gets reported.
If America makes it through all of this, and never has to spend any time for it’s many wrongs committed in the penalty box, it will only be because the rest of the world is that forgiving.
Agree that we only hear about Trump this and Trump that. Am also tired of it. But do I want to hear, again, about one Muslim group shouting Alah Akhbar and the killing another Muslim group? We are seeing this already for decades.
More Info on Yemen at link below:
—————————————————————-
Genocide In Yemen: Media Complicit In US-Saudi War Crimes
Writer and political analyst Catherine Shakdam shines a light on the routinely under-reported crisis in Yemen, telling Mnar Muhawesh on ‘Behind the Headline’ what’s really motivating the Saudi-led, US-backed war on the most impoverished country on the Arabian Peninsula.
By By Mnar Muhawesh January 17, 2017
https://www.mintpressnews.com/genocide-in-yemen-media-complicit-in-us-saudi-war-crimes/224106/
Hi Stephen, read your comment. I also want peace and not only in Yemen but all over the world. What would you suggest to solve this? Now before you suggest something like: the US should not sell any weapons, lets agree that the proposel should be realistic, not the ideas that we get from smoking some pot. Realistic, fair, controllable,..we live in the real world, not disneyland. So if the US will not sell any weapons, how do you avoid that France, Russia, China,..will sell weapons to SA? And who is to decide to what country the US can sell weapons?
Yemen is a war crime of massive proportions. Those responsible are the “leaders” of countries that supply arms to Saudi Arabia and have formed a “coalition” with them. Some of them were on stage at the G20 in Hamburg.
http://graysinfo.blogspot.ca/2017/07/the-gang-of-20-g20-meeting-in-hamburg.html
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Friday, June 5, 2015 7:08 PM
Saudi War Crimes in Yemen: Pictorial Report
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1709068
Thanks for a welcome analysis of a much underreported tragedy. My own take on the crisis is posted here:
https://crivellistreetchronicle.blogspot.com/2017/06/saudi-exceptionalism-lady-macbeth.html
Here is an article that looks at CIA propaganda from the early days of the Trump Administration regarding Saudi Arabia that received little coverage in the United States:
http://viableopposition.blogspot.ca/2017/02/the-irony-of-saudi-arabia-and-cia.html
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that Washington is quite capable of ignoring any Saudi misdeeds.