The illogic of the American intervention in Yemen

Hassan Al-Haifi
Published:28-12-2009

Has US policy in the Middle East witnessed any significant changes from its stale and fumbling ways, which many said characterized the erratic policies of the Bush Administration? The keen observer would be inclined to suggest that, if anything, the Obama Administration may be under greater pressure to fall into misguidance and ill conceived purposes, since it apparently lacks clearly defined ideological foundations to guide it in the formulation of its foreign policies. In this context then, it was easier to rationalize the policies pursued by the Bush Administration, although their justification is open to great questioning. Furthermore, the Bush Administration never made suggestions that they are pursuing a do good policy that is enamored with ethics and respect for human rights. On the contrary they stubbornly held on to a determination to use any means possible to achieve their objectives, regardless of the consequences of their tactical approaches. So, it was clear that "collateral damage" and the suppression of civil liberties and the untold human suffering that went with pursuing the objectives of the various tightly netted institutions that staunchly stood behind the Bush Administration were of little concern to former President Mr. Bush and his staff.

When Mr. Barrack Obama was aggressively campaigning for the highest office in the United States, he sought to portray a forthcoming Administration that would put the United States back on to a course that would make its leadership constructive in bringing about world peace and ceasing unnecessary bloodshed, especially for the mostly discontented peoples of the Third World. Realistically speaking, it would be foolish to think that Obama was a miracle maker who could take his wand and point to a map or a chart showing one of the predicaments facing his Administration and move it right or left to remove all the issues pertaining to the location in question or the report under discussion. Moreover, it would not be fair to suggest that Obama was insincere in his campaign pledges or promises or even the image he was seeking to project of himself.
It is for the American people to judge President Obama on his accomplishments at the home front, in terms of delivering on his promises of controlling government spending, rehabilitating the economic and financial environment, reforming the health sector and raising the standard and quality of education in the United States, among other issues of pertinence to the American people.
However, as far as his foreign policy agenda is concerned, the Obama Administration should begin to score itself on the achievements made since taking the oath of the Presidency of the United States and determine if it is on the road to turning his promises of engagement and rapport with the Moslem World into a tangible reality, which the Moslems of the world have yet to see. The progress in the Middle East has yet to be contemplated, let alone realized. The Israelis are not even proceeding with caution as they aggressively carry out their designs for turning the idea of a Palestinian entity beside them into no more than a rapidly fading dream buried by continuing construction of Israeli settlements. The dire situation of the Palestinians in Gaza is reaching tragic proportions, with a severe siege, now even bolstered by neighboring Arab states – with Washington's prodding.
On the anti-terrorism war front, it appears that the forces of terrorism are indeed actually gaining ground as the United States beefs up its efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Needless to say, even if Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are both erased from the maps, this would still not bring the end of terrorism as a continuing international phenomenon. That is not where terrorism began, nor from where it obtains its continuing generous funding, which the opium trade alone would not be enough to support. Having said that, one would think that the Obama Administration would first of all seek to be familiar with the background of this mostly theatrical phenomenon of Al-Qaeda and how and where it first developed and how it spread dramatically throughout the world. One thing that is for certain is that it is safe to assume that the hundreds of civilian casualties (around 400 civilian fatalities this last month alone, including 120 Government prisoners of war being held by the Houthis) that are now dying in Sa'ada Governorate, to which some have alluded to US bombardment or rocket/drone attacks, are innocent of any form of terrorism – and especially of the Al-Qaeda genre. In addition, the recent attacks on so called AQ elements have been no more than theatrical works of tragic consequences for the mostly innocent Bedouin civilians that were hit instead of the AQ operatives the Yemeni Government claimed were targeted by the Abyan and Shabwa attacks (some claim to have been carried out with direct US involvement and not just blessing). The so called AQ operatives presumably targeted actually showed up on television the next couple of days promising their revenge on the "Americans, but not the Yemeni forces", as they stated (See also this link: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-yemen-awlaki26-2009dec26,0,6789406.story) .
Another disturbing aspect of US policy vis a vis the current situation in Yemen, is that there is some suggestion that the US assistance to the current Yemeni and Saudi drives against the Houthis in Sa'ada is meant to allow the Government a free hand to deal with the AQ, once the Houthis have been subdued once and for all. The observer is baffled by this kind of logic, since the AQ and their like have been having a relatively free hand in Yemen (and of course Saudi Arabia, the original homeland of all extremist Jihadists cultures now thriving all over the world) to grow and multiply with little interference from the Yemeni Government, when both of its hands were for the most part untied for more than thirty years. Surely, this was not without the knowledge of US intelligence then and now. So why the innocent people of Sa'ada should be the victims of a misguided US policy, which was lobbied for, but apparently rejected by the former Bush Administration, is certainly worthy of further study.

Yemen Times
Issue 1324 dd 28 12 2009
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