The UN Security Council has issued a statement expressing “grave concern” over a weekend incident in which northern Yemen’s Shi’ite Houthis fired three missiles into Saudi Arabia. One of the missiles was intercepted by Saudi defenses, and the wreckage killed a civilian.
This statement of condemnation is particularly galling given that Saudi airstrikes have killed literally thousands of Yemeni civilians in the past three years since Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen, and the UN Security Council has never been able to successfully offer a statement faulting that.
Indeed, the times the UN Security Council got close to faulting the Saudis were including them on a blacklist of nations that deliberately kill children in war. That inclusion led the Saudis to have a very public fit, and the UN to retract the claim, despite it being plainly accurate.
This reflects the Saudis having two key allies, the United States and Britain, as permanent members of the security council, and willing to veto anything that challenges their narrative too hard. The US and Britain have both been involved in the Saudi invasion directly, and are both selling the Saudis billions in arms for the conflict.
The Houthis have access to the remaining missiles of the Yemeni military, and have fired a handful of them at the Saudis in recent months. The strikes have had limited impact, though they have led the Saudis to threaten to attack both Iran and Lebanon and various points.
The UN fears Saudi withdrawing funds for various programs.
The death of people in Yemen is meaningless to the UN when balanced against people saved with the funds.
It pretty dark logic.
UNSC, the reason it fails is because of the permanent membership and vetoing powers of those members. Essentially the US, Britain, France, Russia and China have their own interests and are able to veto anything that goes against their interests and the interests of their allies. So don’t get your hopes up in the present geo-political climate of today. The UN is as useful as a toothless tiger when it come to conflict involving the interests of the five permanent members of the UNSC.
The bigger problem isn’t that the UN is toothless, it’s that it bears it’s teeth at the wrong times and in the wrong directions, with zero impartiality.
No, it is that each nation does not necessarily follow the recommendations of the Sec. Gen.
“….the UN Security Council has never been able to successfully offer a statement faulting that.”
the UN security council is absolutely useless at times. perhaps all of them should be arrested and charged with complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. …..especially that wretched Haley…..
“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.” – Voltaire
They’re getting a little more fair, but this part implies it’s the Houthis primarily blocking access to food:
“Millions of Yemenis live under threat of mass starvation and disease, at the mercy of combatants who have sometimes cut off food and medical supplies.”
Why did Russia and China not veto this? I assume others voted against it.
Why has Gutless Guterrez(sp.?) not spoken out about this and the gross behavior of the UK and its EU/NATO friends making vicious unsubstantiated accusations against Russia?