Kerry Endorses Saudi War as Long as Houthis Resist

Demands Full Houthi Surrender for Peace Talks

Speaking today on the nearly month-long war against Yemen, Secretary of State John Kerry insisted that the US will continue to endorse the Saudi war so long as the Shi’ite Houthis continue to resist them.

The US has been endorsing the Saudi war against Yemen from the start, and has participated in a support role, refueling Saudi warplanes and helping them select targets in a war that has killed over 550 civilians so far.

Kerry’s position mirrors that of the pro-Saudi factions in Yemen, which is that the Houthis have to cede all cities to them, and totally disarm before any peace talks will be permitted.

At that point, of course, there will likely be no incentive for the installed Saudi-backed regime to negotiate at all, since the Houthis will have totally given them everything they wanted without giving up anything in return.

The Houthis, by contrast, have conditioned their participation in peace talks on the Saudis ending their strikes, something the Saudis have ruled out doing.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.