Apocalyptic Numbers: The Saudi-Trump War on Yemen

[HomerThompson]

Three years ago this month, the then 29-year-old Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia (now its crown prince) launched a ruinous war on Yemen.

Yemen had been in Saudi Arabia’s back pocket in the 1990s and 2000s, and was a major recipient of Saudi aid, which went into the pockets of dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemen’s people remained desperately poor, and the Saudis then tried to spread their intolerant form of Wahhabism even among Zaydi Shiites, producing a backlash in the form of the Houthis.

In 2011-2012 Saleh was overthrown and Yemen began working on a new constitution and new parliamentary elections.

That process was interrupted by a 2014-2015 Houthi coup in covert alliance with the deposed Saleh. In turn that coup provoked the then 29 year old defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman, to launch an air war on the Houthi guerrilla movement, a war he was most unlikely to win.

https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/apocalyptic-numbers-the-saudi-trump-war-on-yemen/


I want to put some eyes on the disgusting war being perpetrated in Yemen by Saudi Arabia with the full backing of the U.S. and UK. Really brutal and unacceptable tactics here. I don't think they'll be stopping anytime soon either.

Fantastic article provided by @Zankou:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/22/how-the-us-is-making-the-war-in-yemen-worse

I implore everyone to read it.

 

[HomerThompson]

From the article:

The total number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen is 22.2 million – or 76% of the population – including 11.3 million children.

The Saudis and allies have hit Yemen with 15,000 airstrikes.

5,000 children have been killed.

8,700 civilians have been killed

50,000 civilians have been wounded

1.9 million children are not in school, and both sides have recruited children, some as young as ten, as fighters

11.3 million children need humanitarian assistance, with many on the verge of going hungry.

All in all, 22.2 million Yemenis of all ages need humanitarian assistance, 3/4s of the population.

There have been a million cholera cases and there is the threat of another outbreak.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

It's a shame we're focused on North fucking Korea right now, our alliance with SA only goes to prove that the US isn't a moral authority on anything and the idea that we're the "good guys" is absurd.

A friend of mine lost contact with her mom like a year ago, I can't imagine what she must be going through. Knowing the country she lives in is in full support of this slaughter.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Isnt this the same 29 yr old ruler who promises to make SA a more progressive place?

 

[HomerThompson]

Isnt this the same 29 yr old ruler who promises to make SA a more progressive place?

Yes. MBS(Mohammed Bin Salman). He just did the "corruption" crackdown as well.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

It's a shame we're focused on North fucking Korea right now, our alliance with SA only goes to prove that the US isn't a moral authority on anything and the idea that we're the "good guys" is absurd.

Americans hold the federal government to little standard when its actions aren't personally detrimental. I guess being the world's police means being a corrupt pig instead of the honorable type of officer we all wish to have.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Yes. MBS(Mohammed Bin Salman). He just did the "corruption" crackdown as well.

So many horrible people with too much power.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

Americans hold the federal government to little standard when its actions aren't personally detrimental. I guess being the world's police means being a corrupt pig instead of the honorable type of officer we all wish to have.

This shit is going to result in blowback actions in the future, and frankly it will be hard to blame them. A shame they lack the resources to take the fight to the Sauds. Look at how the Kurds blow up police stations and shoot up barracks inside Turkey.

Hard to imagine this isn't going to result in attacks against the US in the future.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

This shit is going to result in blowback actions in the future, and frankly it will be hard to blame them. A shame they lack the resources to take the fight to the Sauds. Look at how the Kurds blow up police stations and shoot up barracks inside Turkey.

Hard to imagine this isn't going to result in attacks against the US in the future.

I'd be down for a hands-off policy when it comes to the ME. I guess I just don't believe life as I know it comes crashing down if the USA doesn't tell other countries what to do.

 

[SBJJ]

He's right on this

But he's a partisan asshole also

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2011/08/23/juan-coles-conveniently-partisan-intervention-issues/

 

[HomerThompson]

He's right on this

But he's a partisan asshole also

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2011/08/23/juan-coles-conveniently-partisan-intervention-issues/

This thread is about the war in Yemen, not the author of the article. Thanks.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

It's a shame we're focused on North fucking Korea right now, our alliance with SA only goes to prove that the US isn't a moral authority on anything and the idea that we're the "good guys" is absurd.

A friend of mine lost contact with her mom like a year ago, I can't imagine what she must be going through. Knowing the country she lives in is in full support of this slaughter.

North fucking Korea has the bomb.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

I'd be down for a hands-off policy when it comes to the ME. I guess I just don't believe life as I know it comes crashing down if the USA doesn't tell other countries what to do.

It's also never worked, the CIA called 9/11 direct blowback for our actions but as Americans we are so far removed we bought the "they hate us for our freedumb!" hook line and sinker. If a Yemeni blows up a US embassy I'll be despaired, but it's not like I wouldn't understand why.

We're one of the most two faced nations on the planet. Shit, how many times have we abandoned the Kurds? We want to start shit with Iran when we spat in the face of democracy and fucked their nation up.

Hell lets not forget the School of Americas and US backed guerrillas smashing in the skulls of children with hammers before throwing them down the well.

I love the US of A, the people, our culture, the diversity of our country both nationally and socially, but our government is and always has been fucked.

 

[AgonyandIrony]

North fucking Korea has the bomb.

Saudi fucking Arabia is going nuclear.

 

[Seaside]

It's a shame we're focused on North fucking Korea right now, our alliance with SA only goes to prove that the US isn't a moral authority on anything and the idea that we're the "good guys" is absurd.

A friend of mine lost contact with her mom like a year ago, I can't imagine what she must be going through. Knowing the country she lives in is in full support of this slaughter.

I criticse US foreign policy a lot some call me a ´putin bot´´ but i think you guys actually are right on north korea. I think only that Trump is so disliked outside that many who dislike him refuse to believe that maybe him and generals are right on north korea maybe just this 1 thing. It make sense to confront them. Yemen and saudis not major threat to anyone or US

 

[AgonyandIrony]

I criticse US foreign policy a lot some call me a ´putin bot´´ but i think you guys actually are right on north korea. I think only that Trump is so disliked outside that many who dislike him refuse to believe that maybe him and generals are right on north korea maybe just this 1 thing. It make sense to confront them. Yemen and saudis not major threat to anyone or US

Hmmm.. how come SA is fighting tooth and nail against investigations into their role in 9/11? How come they're drastically spreading radical doctrine preached through Saudi backed Imams throughout the globe?

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Saudi fucking Arabia is going nuclear.

One nuclear power at a time.

 

[Soul Crusher]

Houthis managed to get one in. Expect those numbers to rise.

Edit: that was actually a malfunctioning patriot missile

 

[Deleted member 457759]

Why are you pretending that Iran isn't waging a proxy war against Saudi Arabia through Yemen?

 

[PolishHeadlock]

So Saleh was in the Saudi pocket, got deposed and joined a group backed by Iran and a coalition for all the Gulf States intervened with intelligence support from the UK, US and France and at the same time the US is droning ISIS and Al Queda?

Oh and Saleh tried to negotiate peace or he switched sides so his initial allies killed him?

The US should put more pressure to get food and aid in there but this seems like a complete cluster fuck regardless of what the US is doing there