"These constant reports that the Houthis are working for the Iranians are nonsense, but the view is right out of the neocon playbook. The Israelis have been touting this line that we lost Yemen to Iran. That’s absurd. The Houthis don’t need Iranian weapons. They have plenty of their own. And they don’t require military training. They’ve been fighting Al-Qaeda since at least 2012, and they’ve been winning. Why are we fighting a movement that’s fighting Al-Qaeda?” — Michael Horton, Yemen expert
Since March of 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies have been bombing Houthi forces in Yemen. Their intent was to reinstall a democratically elected President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.
However, the idea was bad from the beginning and despite supplying logistics and intelligence, the US was not an active player in the 9-state Arab coalition.
Overall, the consensus is that the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen have killed mostly women and children. Political interference from Saudi Arabia has led to the failed Geneva peace talks, recently concluded on June 19, 2015.
However, the important thing to remember is that the US only provides logistics and intelligence to the coalition of 9 Arab states involved in one of the biggest humanitarian crises since the mainstream media labeled the 2011 Libya Civil War a humanitarian crisis.
Libya gives us an idea of the aftermath of that foreign policy. However it is a unique situation and different from the situation in Syria and Yemen, both of which have the perceived ideological threat of Iran and Hezbollah to Saudi Arabian government hegemony.
Yet the situation in Syria is different from Libya because the Assad government is also perceived as an economic threat. Four years after Arab Spring, Syria still has a functioning government.
According to what I have read online about the Yemen attack, the Saudi-led coalition attacked Yemen while implementing Riyadh's foreign policy in the Middle East. Its strategy is to attack a perceived threat, and to let other nations handle the fallout once the enemy turns out to be a formidable opponent.
Meanwhile it continues a propaganda campaign against the enemy and sends in militants loyal to Riyadh to terrorize the threat. When peace talks occur, the Saudi Arabian government will use its influence to frustrate a peace deal.
However, no foreign policy analyst or diplomat in the West is buying the idea that Iran and Hezbollah are as equal a threat as the Islamic State.
Here are recent events of note for June 2015:
According to a news report from Tehran as of June 9, 2015, Saudi Arabia is deploying pro Hadi extremists near border areas with Yemen. These extremists are purportedly in the guise of Bahraini soldiers. Additionally, the Saudi government is bribing Najran sheikhs to dissuade support for Yemeni forces.
On June 14, the Tehran source cites a UAE news website that Saudi Arabia is facing few options in Yemen which shall force them to accept Ansarullah's rule over Sana'a, the capitol of Yemen. Ansarullah is the Shiite movement which overthrew the Saudi-backed Yemen government of President Hadi, who was ousted out of power back in January 2015.
Recently on June 19, Press TV reported that Yemen's Ansarullah — aka the Houthis — said that its demands were not met in Geneva peace talks, due to interference by Saudi Arabia.
What good is peace talks when Saudi Arabia runs interference to prevent Ansarullah from getting what it wants from the peace deal, all because it fears Iran's influence in Yemen? Yet it is doubtful that Iran is in Yemen.
As well, the IRIB French Radio reported on June 19 that Iran and Russia advocate the immediate end of attacks against Yemen.
Both Russia and Iran support the Geneva peace talks on Yemen, and demand the military attacks end immediately so that the ceasefire may be established to enable sending humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Timeline on the 2014-2015 Yemeni Coup D'état (based on mainstream media reports, via wikipedia)
Back in January 2015, the Houthis, a Shi'ite Muslim minority group, had radicalized to the point where they ousted the Saudi-backed Yemen government of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. At that point, the US government was still in talks with them.
After the situation deteriorated further, Saudi Arabia decided to launch an attack on Yemen.
When the Al Saud attack on Yemen to bring Hadi back to power began in March 2015, the US provided logistics and intelligence to the coalition of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan).
That coalition was deployed to prevent Yemen from becoming a Shi'a dominated state. This problem started back in September 2004 when Saudi feared that the Shi'a Muslim Houthi movement could become a problem in Yemen and used force to assassinate its leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.
Originally al-Houthi was a member of the Yemeni Zaydi political party Al-Haqq (The Truth). After the party supported South Yemen separatism, they were targeted by the Yemeni government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an ally of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. In response, the al-Houthi family (al-Houthi, his father Badr al-Din Tabatabai, and his younger brother Abd al-Malik) fled Yemen, first to Syria, and eventually settled in Qom, Iran. Reportedly al-Houthi formed a relationship with Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, and Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader.
In the 1990s Hussein established the Believing Youth (BY) movement to promote a Zaidi revival in Saada to counter the dominance by Saudi-backed Yemeni regime since unification. Originally the BY movement was a moderate theological movement which preached tolerance with a broad-minded view of Yemeni people. After 1995, over 17,500 students had attended BY summer camps, which included lectures by Lebanese Shiite scholar Mohammed Hussein Fadhlallah and Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Lebanon's Hezbollah Party.
Then 911 happened.
As a result of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Ansarullah was radicalized by the influence of Hussein al-Houthi. Youths affiliated with Believing Youth chanted anti-American and anti-Jewish slogans in the Saleh Mosque in the Yemen capitol city of Sana'a after Friday Prayers. This attracted the attention of the Yemeni authorities who were worried of the extent of the al-Houthi movement's influence.
So they arrested 800 BY supporters in Sana'a in 2004. Then Yemen President Saleh issued an invitation to Hussein al-Houthi to a meeting in the capitol which Hussein declined. In response, Saleh ordered Hussein's arrest in June 2004. This resulted in an anti-government insurgency by al-Houthi, which led to his death in September 2004.
Most of the insurgency was over by 2010 when both the Houthis and the Yemen government agreed to a cease-fire. Arab Spring in 2011 led to the 2011 Yemeni Revolution and the ensuing National Dialogue Conference, both of which Houthis were a participant. Yet their rejection of the provisions of the Gulf Cooperation Council deal meant that the revolution was not over.
Meanwhile, President Saleh is deposed in 2011 and his Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi is made President in 2012.
By May 2012 the Houthis control most of Saada, Al Jawf and Hajjah governates, and have also gained access to the Red Sea. By the end of 2014 they control most of Sana'a and other towns such as Rada'. In response, a strong challenge for control of the region is made by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
At this point it is apparent that Iran was giving aid to the Houthis and that Saudi Arabia was aiding various militant groups such as AQAP and Islamic State.
In January 2015 the Houthis seized the presidential palace in Sana'a. During this takeover, President Hadi was present in the palace but left unharmed. By February, the Houthi Revolutionary Committee dissolved parliament and declared itself the acting authority in Yemen.
In retaliation, March 2015 saw the al-Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques come under suicide attack during midday prayers by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (now Islamic State).
On March 25, 2015 Saudi Arabia and a coalition of nine Arab states begin airstrikes in neighbouring Yemen.
Finally on April 21, 2015, the operation is declared over. However, the aftermath is still ongoing.
Behind the scenes, it turns out that former President Saleh is working as one of the leaders of the Yemeni coup d-etat led by the Shi'a Muslim Houthi militants. Tribesmen and government forces aligned with Saleh have allied with the Houthis.
Saudi Arabian diplomats failed to persuade Russia to abandon its support for the Assad government in Syria, and Riyadh is now containing a potential media fallout over its exposure.
References:
Background on Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian-led_intervention_in_Yemen
Background on Yemen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen
Background on Ansarullah aka Houthis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houthis
Background on al-Houthi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein_Badreddin_al-Houthi
Background on Saleh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Abdullah_Saleh
Background on Hadi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_Rabbuh_Mansur_Hadi
Background on South Yemen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Yemen
Background on North Yemen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Yemen
Background on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda_in_the_Arabian_Peninsula
Background on ISIS/ISIL/IS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
US generals: Saudi intervention in Yemen ‘a bad idea’: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/4/17/us-generals-think-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-a-bad-idea.html
The Huthis: from Saada to Sana'a: http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/iraq-iran-gulf/yemen/154-the-huthis-from-saada-to-sanaa.aspx
Pentagon: US officials in communication with Yemen’s Houthis: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/16668-pentagon-us-officials-in-communication-with-yemens-houthis
U.S. Backs Saudi-Led Yemeni Bombing With Logistics, Spying: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-26/yemeni-bombing-led-by-saudis-is-backed-by-u-s-logistics-spying
Saudi Arabia is deploying pro Hadi extremists near border areas with Yemen: https://piazzadcara.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/riyadh-deploys-pro-hadi-extremists-near-border-areas-in-guise-of-bahraini-soldiers-saudi-govt-bribing-najran-sheikhs-to-dissuade-support-for-yemeni-forces/
UAE Website: S. Arabia Facing Few Options in Yemen Forced to Accept Ansarullah: https://piazzadcara.wordpress.com/2015/06/14/uae-website-s-arabia-facing-few-options-in-yemen-forced-to-accept-ansarullah/
Yemen's Ansarullah says its demands not met in Geneva peace talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0_833cJBlE
Yemen’s Ansarullah, Political Factions: Saudi Derailed Geneva Peace Talks
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid
Iran and Russia advocate the immediate cessation of attacks against Yemen (French):
http://french.irib.ir/info/moyen-orient/item/373318-l%E2%80%99iran-et-la-russie-pr%C3%B4nent-l%E2%80%99arr%C3%AAt-imm%C3%A9diat-des-attaques-contre-le-y%C3%A9men
Deprived of Checkbook Diplomacy in Yemen and Syria, Saudi Arabia Flounders:
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/06/26/deprived-of-checkbook-diplomacy-in-yemen-and-syria-saudi-arabia-flounders/
Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yemen. Show all posts
20140309
The Cat Has Rabies (satire)
Meeting with President Bush in 2001, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an ally of Saddam Hussein at the time, offered to mediate a resolution between the United States and Iraq. There is an Arab proverb, the New York Times reported the Yemeni president as saying. If you put a cat into a cage, it can turn into a lion. Mr. Bush responded that he had no intention of reconciling, a senior administration official said.
"This cat has rabies," Mr. Bush said, referring to Mr. Hussein, and then added with a bluntness that was said by officials in the room to have shocked Mr. Saleh, "The only way to cure the cat is to cut off its head."
My opinion is the cat was given rabies in the form of military aid by America and earlier the UK. This is a pattern of UK and later American involvement in the Middle East that is tied to oil.
Indeed, Big Oil in the hands of the West and dominated by America is thus a threat to the Middle East and Muslim nations in Africa, according to Al Qaeda. Hence the ISIS' takeover of oil assets in Syria. This also explains the rebels in Libya, their takeover of oil assets in three ports, and the North Korean oil tanker.
NATO's limited role in the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and the failure of the US State Department to secure its embassy in Benghazi a year later are directly related to the current troubles in Libya today. Libya itself is slowly breaking up with not only ethnic tension arising from the Berber community of western Libya but also among Arab tribal clans based on the three classical provinces of ancient Libya: Tripolitania in the west, Cyrenaica in the east and Fezzan in the south.
With rebels holding wells in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, the situation has deteriorated due to political infighting due to the machinations of the Muslim Brotherhood. Due to decades of the Qaddafi regime playing tribes against each other, and bribing a tribe to achieve political dominance here and there, the Libyan people are extremely weary of dictatorships. Their peaceful demonstrations in Tripoli had only turned violent due to militants' presence in the protests earlier last month.
Meanwhile, the military aid given to Israel by America to ensure its survival has resulted in criticism in the Middle East by Muslim nations and is a direct cause of the rise of pan-Arab nationalism and later pan-Muslim nationalism within the region and other hotspots both in Africa, South Asian and Southeast Asia.
Both the Afghanistan and Iraq situation only led to the rise of the al Qaeda armn ISIS to be established in Iraq, only to be exported to Syria after Arab Spring went horribly wrong there. In the case of Syria, the corruption of the Assad regime is well known, especially its exploitation of the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and invasion of part of south Lebanon by Israel. Indeed, Syria impoverished Lebanon during that time until it left in 2005.
Thus Assad may consider himself the savior of the Levant, yet he is only the protector of corruption and extortion. It would be interesting to see how Lebanon deals with the many Syrians who automatically became Lebanese citizens between 1980 and 2000, seeing as their citizenship was illegal due to Syrian dominance of northern Lebanon.
Back in Yemen, the "rehabilitation" of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula consists of using the militia to rout out Sunni militancy in south Yemen that favors pan-Arabian nationalism over the republican ideals of the central hegemony in Sana'a. Yemeni government uses oil dollars to bribe tribal clans in northern Yemen. In this way, the Shi'a north is placated to moderate militancy while the Sunni south is forced to accept al Qaeda ideology (pan-Muslim nationalism) at gunpoint.
Here is what the difference between pan-Arab nationalism and pan-Muslim nation is: the former is a united Arab organization that is nominally Muslim but promotes a secular government (think of the failed UAR of Egypt and Syria) while the latter is a worldwide caliphate which considers the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan to be a dupe of America, promoting Sharia law based on tribal customs rather than on the Quran.
Given that Al Qaeda has submitted authority to the Taliban, and that the Taliban originate in Pakistan, it is interesting to note that Yemen is the hotbed of al Qaeda militants due to the drone attacks there. For it is they who aid the ISIS forces in Iraq and in Syria, along with militants from the Maghreb and elsewhere in the world.
Ah, the karma of Cold War politics in Afghanistan is biting us in the ass!
"This cat has rabies," Mr. Bush said, referring to Mr. Hussein, and then added with a bluntness that was said by officials in the room to have shocked Mr. Saleh, "The only way to cure the cat is to cut off its head."
My opinion is the cat was given rabies in the form of military aid by America and earlier the UK. This is a pattern of UK and later American involvement in the Middle East that is tied to oil.
Indeed, Big Oil in the hands of the West and dominated by America is thus a threat to the Middle East and Muslim nations in Africa, according to Al Qaeda. Hence the ISIS' takeover of oil assets in Syria. This also explains the rebels in Libya, their takeover of oil assets in three ports, and the North Korean oil tanker.
NATO's limited role in the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and the failure of the US State Department to secure its embassy in Benghazi a year later are directly related to the current troubles in Libya today. Libya itself is slowly breaking up with not only ethnic tension arising from the Berber community of western Libya but also among Arab tribal clans based on the three classical provinces of ancient Libya: Tripolitania in the west, Cyrenaica in the east and Fezzan in the south.
With rebels holding wells in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, the situation has deteriorated due to political infighting due to the machinations of the Muslim Brotherhood. Due to decades of the Qaddafi regime playing tribes against each other, and bribing a tribe to achieve political dominance here and there, the Libyan people are extremely weary of dictatorships. Their peaceful demonstrations in Tripoli had only turned violent due to militants' presence in the protests earlier last month.
Meanwhile, the military aid given to Israel by America to ensure its survival has resulted in criticism in the Middle East by Muslim nations and is a direct cause of the rise of pan-Arab nationalism and later pan-Muslim nationalism within the region and other hotspots both in Africa, South Asian and Southeast Asia.
Both the Afghanistan and Iraq situation only led to the rise of the al Qaeda armn ISIS to be established in Iraq, only to be exported to Syria after Arab Spring went horribly wrong there. In the case of Syria, the corruption of the Assad regime is well known, especially its exploitation of the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and invasion of part of south Lebanon by Israel. Indeed, Syria impoverished Lebanon during that time until it left in 2005.
Thus Assad may consider himself the savior of the Levant, yet he is only the protector of corruption and extortion. It would be interesting to see how Lebanon deals with the many Syrians who automatically became Lebanese citizens between 1980 and 2000, seeing as their citizenship was illegal due to Syrian dominance of northern Lebanon.
Back in Yemen, the "rehabilitation" of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula consists of using the militia to rout out Sunni militancy in south Yemen that favors pan-Arabian nationalism over the republican ideals of the central hegemony in Sana'a. Yemeni government uses oil dollars to bribe tribal clans in northern Yemen. In this way, the Shi'a north is placated to moderate militancy while the Sunni south is forced to accept al Qaeda ideology (pan-Muslim nationalism) at gunpoint.
Here is what the difference between pan-Arab nationalism and pan-Muslim nation is: the former is a united Arab organization that is nominally Muslim but promotes a secular government (think of the failed UAR of Egypt and Syria) while the latter is a worldwide caliphate which considers the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan to be a dupe of America, promoting Sharia law based on tribal customs rather than on the Quran.
Given that Al Qaeda has submitted authority to the Taliban, and that the Taliban originate in Pakistan, it is interesting to note that Yemen is the hotbed of al Qaeda militants due to the drone attacks there. For it is they who aid the ISIS forces in Iraq and in Syria, along with militants from the Maghreb and elsewhere in the world.
Ah, the karma of Cold War politics in Afghanistan is biting us in the ass!
20130814
Al-Qaeda are Actually Home-Grown Terrorists in Their Home Country
Both the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq are viewed by Muslims as a religious war, as they were originally viewed in Washington by then-president GW Bush.
Denying this is the privilege of the politically correct.
Yet as long as the Obama administration refuses to admit the religious side of this war on terrorism, they will only continue to be viewed by Muslims in the Middle East as oppressors, rather than as emancipators trying to bring democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The freeing of al-Qaeda terrorists from Iraq prisons cannot be blamed on Iraq police, because the prisons they were housed in were not immune to attack as the attackers had at least one collaborator on the inside.
Yet at the same time, most of the al-Qaeda warriors in Syria are actually on the US payroll.
IMO the reason why al-Qaeda in Iraq were imprisoned had more to do with their refusal to be bribed by America to fight in its proxy war in Syria. It is also why America bombed Yemen, because Al-Qaeda there refuses to be a pawn in America's proxy wars in Libya, Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East.
Yet it is well know that al-Qaeda was originally trained by Pakistan ISI officials using US money through the CIA during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
It's not hard to conclude then that Chechen rebels in Russia might have been employed by a black-ops cell set up by the CIA to destabilize Russia.
However, it is more likely that the Chechens have a bone to pick with Moscow regarding their treatment by Russians in Chechyna and in Russia itself.
When you marginalize a minority be it Yemeni tribesmen in the clans not related to the one backing the Yemeni regime or Chechens in Russia, shit is bound to happen.
This is why Russia has Muslim terrorists: because of a racist policy regarding the Chechen including moving them to Siberia.
Originally, al-Qaeda are home-grown terrorists within their home countries, be it Chechen rebels, Iraq al-Qaeda,Yemen al-Qaeda or even Libyan al-Qaeda.
Yet America's problem with al-Qaeda is that not all of them are so easy to bribe. Yemen is proof of that.
Denying this is the privilege of the politically correct.
Yet as long as the Obama administration refuses to admit the religious side of this war on terrorism, they will only continue to be viewed by Muslims in the Middle East as oppressors, rather than as emancipators trying to bring democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The freeing of al-Qaeda terrorists from Iraq prisons cannot be blamed on Iraq police, because the prisons they were housed in were not immune to attack as the attackers had at least one collaborator on the inside.
Yet at the same time, most of the al-Qaeda warriors in Syria are actually on the US payroll.
IMO the reason why al-Qaeda in Iraq were imprisoned had more to do with their refusal to be bribed by America to fight in its proxy war in Syria. It is also why America bombed Yemen, because Al-Qaeda there refuses to be a pawn in America's proxy wars in Libya, Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East.
Yet it is well know that al-Qaeda was originally trained by Pakistan ISI officials using US money through the CIA during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
It's not hard to conclude then that Chechen rebels in Russia might have been employed by a black-ops cell set up by the CIA to destabilize Russia.
However, it is more likely that the Chechens have a bone to pick with Moscow regarding their treatment by Russians in Chechyna and in Russia itself.
When you marginalize a minority be it Yemeni tribesmen in the clans not related to the one backing the Yemeni regime or Chechens in Russia, shit is bound to happen.
This is why Russia has Muslim terrorists: because of a racist policy regarding the Chechen including moving them to Siberia.
Originally, al-Qaeda are home-grown terrorists within their home countries, be it Chechen rebels, Iraq al-Qaeda,Yemen al-Qaeda or even Libyan al-Qaeda.
Yet America's problem with al-Qaeda is that not all of them are so easy to bribe. Yemen is proof of that.
20130809
The Shaye Case Example of Danger of Reporting War on Terror
While America sends drones into Yemen to kill al-Qaeda members who won't go along with the current use of members in Syria, it tried to censor what the West knows of al-Qaeda through the journalism of Abdulelah Hader Shaye.
America did so by pressuring former Yemeni leader Saleh to keep Shaye in prison for five years, rather than pardoning him according to the will of the people of Yemen.
In doing so, America violates the sovereignty of Yemen.
Background: In late 2009, Yemen took credit for a botched assault on a village containing terrorists, killing women and children. In this assault, a Tomahawk missile was recovered, which meant a US warship shot the missile.
Shaye was the journalist that broke this story, which showed that the US forced the corrupt Saleh dictatorship to be the fall guy for its mistake.
Because Shaye wouldn't keep quiet about this, the US ask Yemen to force him into silence. Instead, the journalist went to a prominent Arab news media outlet to report it.
In 2010 he was arrested on trumped up charges and given five years in prison, so that the US could continue its mission to rid itself of al-Qaeda non-compliant to their use to fight wars for America.
Then after 3 years of pressure, the new Yemeni government released Shaye.
Reference:
The Dangers of Reporting The "War on Terror": http://aje.me/GM8ZIY
America did so by pressuring former Yemeni leader Saleh to keep Shaye in prison for five years, rather than pardoning him according to the will of the people of Yemen.
In doing so, America violates the sovereignty of Yemen.
Background: In late 2009, Yemen took credit for a botched assault on a village containing terrorists, killing women and children. In this assault, a Tomahawk missile was recovered, which meant a US warship shot the missile.
Shaye was the journalist that broke this story, which showed that the US forced the corrupt Saleh dictatorship to be the fall guy for its mistake.
Because Shaye wouldn't keep quiet about this, the US ask Yemen to force him into silence. Instead, the journalist went to a prominent Arab news media outlet to report it.
In 2010 he was arrested on trumped up charges and given five years in prison, so that the US could continue its mission to rid itself of al-Qaeda non-compliant to their use to fight wars for America.
Then after 3 years of pressure, the new Yemeni government released Shaye.
Reference:
The Dangers of Reporting The "War on Terror": http://aje.me/GM8ZIY
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