The tragedy of Yemen

Author: Daily Times

Donald Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince are brothers-in-arms. Quite literally. For as the Riyadh-led war in Yemen enters its third year this week — the Republican-controlled Senate voted against ending Washington’s role in the conflict. That the defeat of the bipartisan resolution took place on the same day that Mohammed Bin Sultan was in town may or may not have been coincidental.

Be that as it may, the result is more of the same. Meaning that Trump Town can keep calm and carry on as it continues to refuel Saudi planes and provide intelligence to the Kingdom. Thereby increasing the amount of blood the unquiet American president has spilled on his countrymen’s hands. For thus far the ongoing and disproportionate military aggression against one of the poorest nations in the world has left more than13,500 dead; and out of a pre-conflict population of 28 million, some 20 million Yemenis are now in need of humanitarian assistance just to survive from day to day; while one million are suffering from cholera in what the UN says is the worst epidemic of its kind in 50 years. This is to say nothing of last year’s blockade that directly led to another 5,000 civilian deaths; 20 percent of whom were children.

It is therefore beyond shocking that the US president has never approached Congress to authorise this warfare by proxy. But then this is a White House that has surpassed previous ones when it comes to being seduced by hard cash. Meaning that Trump is a businessman at heart and cannot help but see the immense investment opportunities that come with Saudi moves to diversify economic returns while kicking old oil habits. Indeed, the apprentice-president went as far as requesting Mohammed Bin Sultan to share his country’s wealth with the American people. Yet when boasting about the lucrative $12.5 billion arms deal inked last year that will see Riyadh purchase planes and missiles as well as frigates from US companies — Trump was uncharacteristically quiet on the small matter of the $3.5bn that was knocked off the original retail price.

Though it is not just Washington that is resoundingly not up in arms over Yemen — European nations, most notably Britain, are also profiting from the human misery there. Though countries such as Greece, Finland and Germany have taken the lead from their respective civil societies and cancelled arms contracts with the Saudi kingdom and its Gulf coalition allies. By contrast, the silence of the Muslim world is deafening; and that of Pakistan in particular. For just as it is insufficient for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to call on the international community to provide urgent medical relief to Yemen unless and until the original act of aggression is called out — the same holds true for this country. Meaning that it has to go beyond the official rhetoric of ruling out sending troops to participate in the Yemen conflict when Pakistani soldiers have been despatched to Riyadh on training missions. Thus Islamabad can likely not play the role of honest broker between the Saudis and the Iranians, even if it wanted to. Especially not when the Kingdom may or may not be one of two friendly countries that it is reportedly touching up for a cool $2billion to secure international obligations.

All of which naturally raises questions of double standards when it comes to the hierarchy of life. For the message that Pakistan and much of the international community sends to today is: 145,000 coalition military missions in Yemen, including 16,000 Saudi airstrikes, do not warrant a conversation on punitive action. Not when it comes to the lives of one of the world’s most impoverished nations.

Shame on them. Shame on us all. *

Published in Daily Times, March 23rd 2018.

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