American mainstream partner of crimes against the Yemenis

George Capaccio is a writer and activist living in Arlington, MA. During the years of US- and UK-enforced sanctions against Iraq, he traveled there numerous times, bringing in banned items, befriending families in Baghdad, and deepening his understanding of how the sanctions were impacting civilians.


Basirat: How much of the American people are aware of the dimensions of the Yemeni war?

I don’t really know how many Americans are aware of the dimensions of the war in Yemen. For that matter, I don’t know how many Americans are even aware of the fact that the US is deeply involved with this war.

Local news reporters on TV channels pay almost no attention to this war or to international affairs in general. However, there is coverage by the main news outlets like CBS, BBC, NBC, CNN, and so on. It would be interesting for someone to watch reports on these news networks to find out if journalists are reporting on the statistics provided by organizations like Save the Children or UNICEF—statistics that show the number of deaths from bombing and economic war, the number of cholera cases, the number of displaced families, etc.
Also, are these networks reporting on US complicity in the ongoing massacre of Yemeni civilians? I seriously doubt that American media giants are inclined to refer to the US government as partly responsible for the terrible tragedy unfolding in Yemen. 
I do think that many local and national peace and justice organizations are taking on the war in Yemen and doing what they can to push Congress to end US support for the war. This week the US Senate voted 63-37 to move Senator Bernie Sanders’ bill, S. J. Resolution 54 to a full debate next week in the Senate.

Two weeks ago, the US House of Representatives almost passed a similar bill. Peace advocates hope that in the New Year, when the US is once again under Democratic control, the House will try again to get the bill passed.

Basirat: Do you think the increase in people's awareness has an effect on this war? What matters to them at all in a country like Yemen?

Yes, I think an increase in awareness is absolutely crucial to the peace movement in this country and to ending US support for the war. Those of us working toward this goal (and toward the larger goal of ending the US "war on terror”) feel that educating people is a first step toward reaching our goals.

A growing awareness of the suffering of the Yemeni people, I believe, has given politicians like Bernie Sanders a foundation to stand on, as he reaches out to his colleagues—both Democratic and Republican—and urges them to move forward on the bill he has introduced in the Senate.

The second part of this question is harder to address. I think only a small percentage of my fellow Americans truly cares about what is happening in Yemen or in places like Yemen. Does the death by starvation of nearly one hundred thousand children in Yemen matter to them? I hope so. On the other hand, I suspect that what happens in Yemen or Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan is simply off most people’s "radar.” It’s not that they are necessarily callous or indifferent. They are likely to focus more on their own issues, particularly at a time when it seems there is much insecurity in this country. Healthcare costs are rising; housing is expensive in the larger cities; good jobs can be hard to find.

In addition, the media too often fails to provide enough context for people to really understand what’s going on in Yemen and how US support for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners is contributing to the suffering of the people. Mainstream journalists may highlight the death toll from the latest Saudi bombing or mention the growing cholera epidemic, but what is left out of the picture is the "hidden hand,” that is, the direct and indirect support we provide for the Saudis and how this support enables them to blockade Yemen’s harbors and continue bombing civilian targets.


Basirat: What is the economic war on the Yemeni people and what role does the US play in it?

In my recent essay on the war in Yemen, I referred to a report by Martha Mundy, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. In her report, she argues that economic war is the leading cause of starvation in Yemen. First, the Saudi coalition attacked military and governmental targets. The next stage in the war, she says, was the attack on civilian infrastructure. The third stage is economic war in which harbors are blockaded, commercial flights out of the country are prevented, and financial transactions are controlled by the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, supported by forces of the United Arab Emirates in Aden. In the words of Professor Mundy:

Most importantly, the central bank of Yemen was moved to Aden. This rendered money transfers to Yemeni banks more difficult, put the issuance of the Yemeni riyal in the hand of the Hadi government, and made it possible to cease paying the salaries of all government employees in areas under the control of Sanaʾ [which Houthi forces control]. The government was the largest employer in the country, and the jobs concerned extend from medical staff to military personnel, from teachers to administrators; pension and other social payments were also halted.
As for the US role in the economic war, Professor Mundy points out that past and present US ambassadors to Yemen have supported the transfer of the central bank to Aden and the attack on the port of Al-Hodeidah.

Basirat: How do you think the personal interests of American politicians have an effect on the support of killing in Yemen?

US defense contractors/weapons makers have a strong interest in making sure the war continues. After all, it’s good for business. If you happen to be a politician in a state heavily dependent on the manufacture and sale of weapons, you’re not likely to vote to end the war, any war for that matter. Those companies making the weapons are likely to make sizeable contributions to the campaign funds of certain politicians, and those politicians in turn are not going to "bite the hand that feeds you.” On the contrary, they will support the war since political campaigns are so expensive in this country and they need all the money they can get in order to keep running for office. Only principled politicians are likely to stand up to defense contractors and work to end the violence.

Basirat: The Yemeni war began during the Democrats with their support and continued during the Republicans. What is your opinion about the behavior of these two parties in this case?

I see no real difference in this case. Contrary to the widespread perception that Barack Obama was some kind of peacemaker, I hold him just as accountable to the suffering in Yemen as his successor Donald Trump. Under Obama, the US authorized logistical and intelligence support to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its launching of military operations in Yemen.

Moreover, the Obama Administration provided in-air refueling, targeting information, search-and-rescue operations for Saudi pilots, and a major increase in the exporting of weapons. 
The executive branch [since 2009] has notified Congress of proposed foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia of major defense articles and services with a potential aggregate value of nearly $139 billion. The United States and Saudi Arabia concluded arms sale agreements worth more than $65 billion, from FY2009 through FY2016.
Basirat: Is Saudi Arabia so financially beneficial to the United States that the United States closes its eyes on all these crimes and killings, or is it something else?

The short answer is yes. The US is the largest exporter of arms in the world, and Saudi Arabia is a major buyer of the weapons we export. Despite that country’s abominable human rights record and its war on Yemen, the US, under Obama, agreed to sell close to 90.4 billion dollars in weapons to the Kingdom beginning in 2010.

Is our alliance with Saudi Arabia about something more than money? Yes, the "something more” is oil. Despite the promising boom in shale oil production in North and South America, the US still imports much of its oil from Saudi Arabia, which is the largest oil producing member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which controls around 40 percent of global oil resources.
Basirat: What is your assessment of the outcome of this unequal and inhumane war?

I am beginning to feel hopeful. Both the House and the Senate are considering or will consider bills that will end US involvement, which will seriously cripple the Saudi war effort. Also, there is a growing movement among peace advocates to educate the public about the war and to increase public opposition in the form of demonstrations, marches, rallies, vigils, letter-writing, etc.