Four years into the Saudi invasion of Yemen, the US Senate voted earlier this week to call for an end to direct US involvement in the conflict. This is driven by the huge number of civilians being killed by the Saudis, and the recent Saudi murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The administration has expressed opposition to the Senate vote, claiming it is interfering in the president’s war-making powers as commander-in-chief. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took a different tack, arguing the vote proves they don’t care about Yemenis.
“If you truly care about Yemeni lives, you’d support the Saudi-led effort,” Pompeo insisted, arguing that the Saudis are aiming to “prevent Yemen from turning into a puppet state of the corrupt, brutish Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Pompeo doubled down on this narrative by accusing those who voted against war of prolonging the conflict, saying that the way to “alleviate the Yemeni people’s suffering” is to ensure that the Saudis can win the war militarily and “ensure a just peace.”
The US has been directly supporting the Saudi war for four years now, leading to the deaths of many thousands of civilians in Saudi airstrikes, along with the worst cholera outbreak in human history, and a naval blockade that has left much of Yemen on the brink of starvation. It is this disastrous status quo that Pompeo is looking to protect in the name of humanitarian compassion.
Boy, has he got problems.
That’s taking ‘blame the victim’ to a new … wait…. uh, typical level of psychopathy for the war machine.
Ladies and gentlemen, America’s chief diplomat …
In this as in so many other ways, Trump’s cartoonish choices remove the veil and reveal the beast of empire in all its naked “glory” … remember, Obama started our cooperation with SA in Yemen.
well We the People: what’s it gonna be? This sad and murderous excuse for imperial foreign policy or are we ready for a change?
Trump deserves high marks for honest representation of the imperial project.
Obama sold it far more unrealistically, and the blowback was harsh.
Time Machine material of how bombing and killing Iraqis was going to help them.
Just how would “a puppet state of the corrupt, brutish Islamic Republic of Iran” be worse than a puppet state of the corrupt, brutish Saudi royal family?
Look at what they do to Shiites in Bahrain and their own country. Iran behaves better than that, if only because it is such a very low standard.
Winning the war means fighting a war on top of those desperate people. That is worse for them than anything Iran might have done. And that, only to get them the “benefits” of Saudi brutality?
Because then they would be ‘our’ corrupt, brutish puppet state, ‘d’oh.
It is absolutely amazing to see how the snowflake generation has no problem with such monstrous ideas? No problem with the Congress passing inane resolutions to stop support for Saudis but INSURING that US stays in the war! To insure UScpresident in his fits of lucidity does not withdraw our MULTITUDE of military engagements in Yemen. Snowflakes that so much care about women, could have noticed by now that in dark Iran women go to universities and work professionally— including military pilots, police. But flakes are there where comanded to be — protesting for politically interesting causes, but never for
ANYTHING that has something to do with our NATIONAL interest. We may need to change voting system to vote for issues. So that issues are of national, state or local interest. And national interest that are either domestic or concern our behavior internationally. There is no point giving politicians this immense latitude in both defining what they are supposed to do, and defining/dedefining how to do it.
Brexit is a monumentally important example. Foolish elite, confudent in their own polls, let people vote on leaving or staying in EU. The resukt shocked them — as no political party can really make it in British politics without pledging allegiance to EU. Their bisses
In the City would never let them exit Brussels courts system that protects the British loan sharking from being subject to UK laws and courts. So, what did politicians do? Make things as complicated as possible, and produce a plan that has Brexit in name only. No change. And then obsess over Irish border to distract people from the absence of any meaningful exit from EU, and in order to punish uppity populace, stick in a provision that prohibits any voting on the issue for the next 70 years. The whole exercise has opened eyes of many, including those who were sure EU was good. Now, even labor unions once staunchly for
remaining in EU — are changing tune. They must, as ordinary members are no longer listening to bosses. Which makes Labour Party suddenly a liability, as Corbin started finessing his position, away from “remain”. He started mentioning Norwegian option, as he had to respond to his base increasing anti-EU stance. That suddenly made Corbyn anti-semitic, and his whole party the den of anti-semitism. Some members left the party in order to become “independent” so they could in the chaos negotiate some goodies for their favorites. Now what? UKIP has split into a group of leaders dedicated to Brexit only. UKIP itself is thorn between socially painful issues brought forward by Robision, and others anti-Brexiters. The problem for UKIP
became the focus on domestic traumas, taking away from the issues of Brexit and independence. It was predictable once helpful Koch brothers started financing Tommy Robison. They sucessfully broke up and diverted Tea Party from any foreign policy issues, so they are trying their hand at UKIP. But will not suceed. They will only bring mire to the forefront the issues of uncontrolled immigratiin, which will only help
the new party and others see EU for what it is.
Whatever happens next will NOT help elite. If they suceed with muddled plan that keeps UK in EU one way or the other, and economy is getting worse, as it cannot right itself due to financial excess. So, elite will be blamed for the botched Brexit and economic mess. And will be suspicious of any elite explanations — Russia being the answer to all problems.
Elite has been busted on one issue. They cannot recover from the exposure. Conservative or Labor — they will have to change, or split always a tricky issue. Trump as a revolt is still playing itself out — but he is not helping. Not even hilself. He even list a twitter duel with Imran Khan of Pakistan.
Pompeo’s the guy who insists that destroying the Iranian and Venezuela economies makes life better for their people. But remember, he keeps an open bible in his office so he must not be questioned.
Has anyone looked to see what page his bible is open to? There are some pretty rough passages in there in the Old Testament. I’m pretty sure his good book is not open to the Sermon on the Mount … “Blessed are the peacemakers …”
I always got a kick out of the fact that it was “open”. As if that makes him a little more holy than someone who has a closed bible. Like living on a patch of earth that is some how more holy than another patch of earth.
“If you care about Yemeni lives you have to support the Saudi invasion? Why is it that this statement by Pompeo makes no sense?… Oh yea, American Foreign Policy makes no sense.
This guy is trying to pass Kissinger for number of civilians killed on his watch.
No surprise……classic US foreign policy.
The stupid Neocon admin. is so arrogant and confident, they don`t feel the need to hide the evilness of US foreign policy.
I guess we have to give him credit for being more honest than diplomats often are; The US govt intends to continue killing Yemenis on Saudi Arabia’s behalf regardless of what Congress says, regardless of the cost in lives money and goodwill, until the surviving Yemenis surrender to Saudi rule. Now that we know this, Congress needs to keep cutting military spending until continuing the intervention is impossible.
Jesus. This is a mere fiction based on the millennia old feud between the Shiia (Iran) and Sunni (Saudis) wings of Islam, which occurred as Mohammad’s descendants started killing each other off as the “true leaders of Islam.”
Why does any intelligent American care what foreign state “influences” Yemen? The head-chopping Saudi royals or the slightly deranged Iranian mullahs? The poor Yemenis are dead either way. The Israelis are behind this by trumpeting the Saudi line here (after failing to overthrow Assad in Syria) and getting Trump to parrot that line. Netanyahu needs a bogie-man threat to stay in power and Iran is tailor made. Too far away to do harm and an annoying “enemy” of the US due to past US intervention.
This is the kind of sick manipulation Trump should oppose. But the Israelis can do no wrong with him. Maybe after they put Bennie in jail for corruption…