14 Million Yemenis and a Diplomatic Nightmare
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8:32 am, November 16th, 2018 - 19 comments
Categories: Africa, Donald Trump, Globalisation, International, us politics -
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In Yemen right now, children are living in the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in the last 100 years. Yemen is on the brink of famine, and nearly every child in the country is in danger. There are reports that 14 million people are at risk of starvation and diseases like cholera. Children are being starved to death, suffering from disease and forced from their homes. That’s according to the United Nations arm UNICEF.
So this would be a really good time for the United States to be deploying its massive diplomatic and military weight with the two protagonists Saudi Arabia and Iran to stop this war. Except …
Except, the United States decided to unilaterally tear up the diplomatic agreement that had been forged with Iran in the previous government, in favour of massive punitive economic sanctions.
This is not a government that believes in rewarding diplomacy with further and deeper trust. So right now when it’s most needed, the United States has nothing to draw on. In fact if Iran is convinced that the U.S. aims to destroy its economy unless Iran either meets its huge demands or gives up power, it could easily decide to retaliate where they have the most influence: Iraq. I’m sure everyone remembers those pro-Iranian militias targeting U.S. troops after the 2003 war. Iraq is shaky and dependent on Iran for a lot. Tehran could easily see Washington’s fatigue with war as a good time to hit back hard.
Trump’s diplomatic stupidity has cost the U.S. diplomatic power with Iran when Yemen needs it the most.
As to Saudi Arabia, the new Democrat majority in Congress is giving more energy to opposing U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s military in Yemen. There’s also a letter circulating from a bunch of senior ex-defence and intelligence officials stating re Yemen that the Trump administration has doubled down on support for the Saudi leadership prosecution of the war, while removing restrictions that the U.S. previously had in place. They state that’s well past time that America’s role in the war in Yemen should end.
And indeed U.S. defence officials are making tougher public stances against Saudi Arabian military action in Yemen. Somewhat. Clearly not enough to really stop the big military deals, so far.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a key Houthi leader said in a Washington Post editorial on November 9th that “The United States has the clout to bring an end to the conflict – but it has decided to protect a corrupt ally.”
I think you get the point. I would hope that our own tiny voice is added, since we live and die on good diplomacy.
But President Trump hasn’t yet. What President Trump does respect however is the court of public opinion in the media. So long as mainstream media can get their cameras in there to flood the world with the moral choices that they present across every tv screen, this massive atrocity will tell him the big lesson about why diplomacy works and the effects of his foolish belligerence tearing up hard-won agreements. Access is the big IF.
Without diplomatic pressure that forms ceasefire agreements to get aid in, 14 million Yemenis have their lives at risk.
President Trump, diplomacy matters.
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…the two protagonists Saudi Arabia and Iran to stop this war.
???????
Iran’s involvement has been massively exaggerated and exploited by Saudi/U.S./U.K. propaganda. I’m surprised, with your record, that you haven’t found a way to shoehorn in the Russians for blame on this one too.
Well said Morrissey. The problem is all Saudi/Israel/USA. Why the rest of the World turns a blind eye to this speaks volumes of how morally barren mankind is(and always has been).
Bahrain, the U.A.E. and France have also played a significant part in the destruction of Yemen.
Back in 2015 people agreed with you, with some nice background on how everyone in there is screwing everyone else:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/iran/2015-04-19/irans-game-yemen
Except that Iran’s leader and Saudi Arabia’s were in full and frank diplomatic exchanges about it already:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/world/middleeast/yemen-fighting.html
But by March 2017 the reports starting coming in.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-iran-houthis/exclusive-iran-steps-up-support-for-houthis-in-yemens-war-sources-idUSKBN16S22R
It kept coming:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/us-gives-evidence-iran-supplied-missiles-that-yemen-rebels-fired-at-saudi-arabia
UN Security Council put out a statement about missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. Who knows maybe the Houthis got all those Iranian missiles on the black market? It’s possible.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13270.doc.htm
British condemnation of the Iranian government backing of Houthi forces:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/britain-slams-iran-for-arming-houthi-rebels-in-yemen-1.674520
The United Nations examined the evidence:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/12/08/u-n-panel-finds-evidence-of-iranian-hardware-in-yemeni-rebels-missile-and-american-middle-east-iran-saudi-arabia-human-rights-blockade-white-house/
But the US-pushed resolution that would have condemned both Saudi Arabia and Iran was defeated by the Russian Security Council veto. Russia’s version did not mention Iran’s provision of asymmetrical capabilities to the al-Houthi movement. Net effect no accountability for Iran. There you go, a Russian conspiracy for you.
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-support-to-houthi-air-defenses-in-yemen
The UAE chipped in:
http://gulfbusiness.com/uae-presents-evidence-irans-support-houthis-yemen/
The EU made their diplomatic view very clear:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2018-0448&language=EN
And of course, Iran only kinda denies it. It’s just “advisory assistance”.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-11/23/c_136774564.htm
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-panel-finds-further-evidence-of-iran-link-to-yemen-missiles-1.755610
Now even South Africa is being approached by the Saudis to broker with Iran:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-10-12-south-africa-is-trying-to-broker-peace-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran-in-yemen/
And here’s the record of what U.S. legislative diplomacy has sought to achieve in Yemen, up to August this year (pre-Khashoggi):
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R45046.pdf
[Hi, Ad. The comment got held up because of the number of links. I’ve disposed of the duplicate. TRP]
Much obliged
The worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in the last 100 years???
I am sure it is pretty bad there but that might be over stating things somewhat. The last 100 years have involved some pretty appalling humanitarian situations including WWII and the horrors of Communism like the Great leap forward, the Killing fields, and Stalin’s forced collectivisation of agriculture.
In Yemen.
The post is about Yemen.
The link was to a report about Yemen.
Focus Gosman focus.
Then the statement should have been “the worst humanitarian crisis THEY have seen in the last 100 years”. Or “the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen IN YEMEN in the last 100 years”. Although I don’t even know if that is accurate or not. Yemen has seen some pretty horrible stuff over the past 100 years.
“In Yemen right now,children are living in the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in the last 100 years.”
Correct statement backed by UN report.
Address the post or fuck off.
Far out man ?
Gossy, currently in Yemen a child dies every ten minutes.
In the time we can edit a comment on TS, another child over there dies.
Six children an hour, 144 children a day, 1008 children a week…
It’s not about the past or a competition of wording, it’s about what’s happening right now over there.
Unfortunately this is only the beginning. Added to the current dilemmas is the ravages of Climate Change which is going to turn the entire Middle East into a melting pot of unbelievable horror. Such an irony that the birth place of civilisation is going to be the first region in the world to be totally destroyed.
Pretty sure that there were older civilisations around that didn’t destroy everything that they touched. They were, of course, destroyed by the capitalist ‘civilisation’ of the West.
Yes. I should have said modern civilisation.
1. Washington DC doesn’t have any war fatigue. The rest of the population might but Washington DC doesn’t and they will ignore the rest of the population as it always does.
2. If Tehran invades Iraq then Washington DC will use as an excuse for all out war with Iran. The war that Washington DC and Israel have wanted ever since the Iranians kicked the US out.
All indications are that the US wanted to get rid of the diplomatic solution so that they could build a case for war.
The only option is for the Democratic majority to stop the Administration starting another war. So, how is the POTUS’s power to start a war ATM? Bush jnr got the power to unilaterally start a war is that power still in place?
To me it looks like some in the US administration have decided to start another war in the ME (A war with Iran) using their proxy Saudi Arabia.
Does he?
IMO, like all RWNJs the only thing he respects is power and wealth and he sees diplomacy as being weak.
The US War Machine and the US Public are mutually exclusive.
No, they’re not. We know this because they exist together.
The problem is that the private, profit driven war machine controls the US Administration and is not answerable to the US public.
Meanwhile Trump has today leveled sanctions against 17 Saudis who killed Khashoggi.
Big f’in deal. Tokenism.
What is needed is for someone to occupy the port who
1. will enable food to come in
2. keep weapons out
A negotiation whereby
A
1. the armed Houthi leave the port
2. Saudi Arabia stops bombing the port area
The question is who occupies the port – given the Arab region wide division, probably a UN force.
B
1. Armed Houthi leave a range of areas
2. All Saudi Arabia bombing stops
3. All external combatants leave