To hear the Obama Administration talk publicly, military aid to Yemen is not in any jeopardy at all, and with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) still strong, it is a top priority for military planners.
The reality, however, is that large portions of Yemen’s military have already defected to the side of the protesters and President Saleh is openly threatening civil war in an increasingly unlikely bid to sustain power. Behind the scenes, US officials have been trying to negotiate an exit for Saleh, and his replacement with a military junta led by a top general.
And despite assuring the continuation of the aid only yesterday, a Pentagon proposal on foreign military aid does not mention Yemen at all. This suggests that the Obama Administration is delaying its decision on arming the nation.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said that they are still monitoring the situation and will make a decision from there. The reality, however, is that Saleh was never particularly reliable in using US military aid against its intended targets, often diverting anti-AQAP funding to attacks on separatist movements, and with civil war seemingly on the horizon, it seems like President Saleh is far more interested in keeping the Yemeni people from storming his palace than in fighting AQAP in rural provinces.
The people of Yemen has said its piece, for Saleh to go to hell.
Why should we be funding ANYONE, period? It makes absolutely no sense to borrow billions from the Chinese just so we can hand it over to someone else (and still be on the hook for the interest). Maybe it's time to take stock of just what we're doing around the world with our taxpayer dollars and maybe think about actually representing the will of the people? I daresay if you held a referendum today, the vast majority of Americans would vote to stop foreign aid altogether- and rightly so. Paying people to be your friends is no way to be a great nation, and paying already-rich nations is simply irresponsible, especially when all it does is get us in trouble (I'm looking at YOU, Israel).
Foreign aid can be a good thing, but it should be reserved for emergencies and real needs- not to line the pockets of pro-Western leaders. Foreign aid should be the exception, and not the rule.
Here's a thought: stop all the foreign aid checks across the board until we get our own debt issues handled and find out who our friends REALLY are, then act accordingly. We might be surprised at who sides with us and who turns on us (I'm looking at you, Iran and Israel- in that order).