"The US military and CIA, as well as their British and French counterparts, have helped the Saudi war effort by assisting with the blockade, refueling warplanes, and supplying advanced attack weapons and intelligence. American aircraft provide aerial refueling to Saudi jets attacking Yemeni targets,” Sen. Richard Black told Tasnim.
Richard Black represents the 13th District encompassing parts of both Loudoun
and Prince Williams Counties. He was previously a member of the Virginia House
of Delegates from 1998 to 2006. Black was a career military officer. He served
in both the US Marines and in the US Army JAG Corps. He served a total of 31
years active and reserve, rising from the rank of private to full colonel. He is
a graduate of the US Army War College, Command and General Staff College, and
Naval Aviator’s Flight School. Black served as a pilot in the US Marines during
the Vietnam War, earning the Purple Heart medal. He flew 269 combat helicopter
missions with HMM-362’s "Ugly Angels” squadron, which operated out of Ky Ha,
Vietnam.
Following is the full text of the interview.
Tasnim: Saudi-led forces and UAE troops began a massive operation on June 13
to bring Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah under their control. What’s behind this
attack?
Sen. Black: Saudi Arabia is determined to fully blockade the Yemeni coast.
They intend to remove the ability of the Yemenis to feed themselves, to receive
medical supplies, and to receive repair materials for buildings destroyed by
bombing. Saudi Arabia has deliberately promoted a cholera epidemic by bombing
water purification facilities to prevent access to sanitary drinking water. Of
course, they also intend to blockade war materials. But the war waged by Saudi
Arabia has been largely a war of terror directed equally at military and
civilian targets. Saudi Arabia has intentionally targeted funerals and weddings
to maximize civilian casualties. These actions are war crimes which deserve
punishment.
Tasnim: Some reports indicate that American, British and French forces are
supporting the Saudi and UAE forces in their assault on the port city. What’s
your perspective on this?
Sen. Black: This is certainly accurate, and well-documented by many news
sources. The US military and CIA, as well as their British and French
counterparts, have helped the Saudi war effort by assisting with the blockade,
refueling warplanes, and supplying advanced attack weapons and intelligence.
American aircraft provide aerial refueling to Saudi jets attacking Yemeni
targets.
Tasnim: Some experts say Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to use the
battle in Hudaydah as a psychological warfare offensive against Yemeni popular
fighters. Do you believe so?
Sen. Black: The targeting of Yemeni weddings, water treatment plants,
hospitals, fuel lines, hospitals and port facilities is designed to undermine
the will of Yemenis to defend their nation against Saudi Arabia. The Saudis
attacked Yemen in order to install a puppet government against the will of the
people. Their actions are aiding al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which
controls a large part of Yemen. Yemen has been removed from the banking system
by western powers. Their currency was demonetized during the early days of the
war, so the people would be unable to pay for food, medicine, repair parts for
their power plants and water treatment plants and for weapons.
Tasnim: Do you think the UN is doing enough to stop the war there?
Sen. Black: The UN does have some symbolic moral authority, and on
occasion, they attempt to use that authority for good. In practice, they have
little real power except when they approve aggression against states like Libya.
For example, in 2011, the UN authorized "all necessary measures” to "protect”
civilians in Libya. This resolution gave cover for the mass slaughter of the
Libyan people and the nearly total destruction of Libyan civilian and government
infrastructure. The nation has remained lawless and in a state of near-anarchy
ever since. For this reason, the UN is most effective when it shields warlike
nations from public accountability for cruel and bloodthirsty crimes.
So although the UN has little real power, it provides a useful cloak for wars of
aggression against neutral, nonbelligerent nations. It is heavily influenced by
its major contributors, which include the US (27%), Japan (10%, Germany (6%),
France (5%), the UK (4.5%) and China (8%). Some of these nations are closely
allied with Saudi Arabia. Their contributions to the UN give them considerable
leverage over the organization.
In theory, the UN exists to prevent wars of aggression against sovereign
nations. In practice, it does not do so. Instead, it often acts as a sounding
board for aggressors to attack poor and helpless people in countries like Iraq,
Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Often those aggressors employ unconstrained terror and
brutality to destroy the people, infrastructure and culture of these nations.
Source: Tasnim