Yemen’s War Is a Tragedy. Is It Also a Crime?

Who are those “allies” of Saudi Arabia blocking more meaningful action? Inquiring minds want to know.

Apparently it’s as difficult for the NYT to articulate the USA’s complicity in warcrimes as it is for the US media to correctly label harsh interrogation as torture. Saudi Arabia would have been a more compelling target for an invasion and occupation post 9/11 than Iraq. Not only did it supply many of the hijackers, but it was, and still is, a major funder and exporter of militant jihadist activity.

Will Trump be held accountable for giving the Saudis a free hand?

Saudi Arabia , United Arab Emirates with their enabler the united states are responsible for this genocide on the poor people & children of Yemen . The Airplanes smart bombs , Refueling Tankers are supplied by the US Military . Where is the outrage by the public & the politician in the USA . The US government is the enabler of this war on Yemen , one resolution by the US senate can stop the military air support by the US to the Saudi Military . Reuters reported on the sale of Smart Bombs to Saudi Arabia for $7 Billions by Raytheon & Boeing .

And why are we, the US, participating? Yemen is just one country out of 176 globally where we have military forces (70% of the world's countries). No one in the US is accountable; maintaining a global sense of this much military intervention is beyond anyone's abilities. And, our military interventions come with "improved" weapons and training (and encourages the creation of opposing militias.) Sadly, even before TIllerman the US has decided to use its fists rather than diplomacy---in actions if not in words.

I wish that one day we would prefer humanity to money and power.

The Iranians have been handed a situation in which they can dream of controlling territory from the Mediterranean in Lebanon, right through Syria, and ending in Iraq. As callously as Saudi Arabia has behaved, it doesn't look like anyone else is going to prevent a nuclear armed Iran, complete with allies paid for with American money, from becoming the predominent power in the Middle East. If we don't want to see that, we'll have to help Saudi Arabia.

Simply put: yes. The war in Yemen is both a tragedy and a crime. It is long past time to rethink what we are doing in the Middle East.

It's a horrific situation for the poor people of Yemen. The new reckless and inexperienced prince of Saudi Arabia is all ignorant ambition but no substance whatsoever. He talks about modernizing his country's economy but then rounds up the most prominent business people in the country for a shakedown as if he were some dumb communist dictator who fears free enterprise. He is no communist, but no doubt dumb. However, he has one thing going for him, which is that Trump worships him! As far as clownish Trump is concerned this reckless and inexperienced prince can't do wrong! Why? Because all Trump worries about is all the money he can get from these tyrannical Arab regimes post-presidency to grow his family's business empire! The poor people of Yemen are simply, heartbreakingly out of luck!

Yes....the actions of the Saudis are war crimes against innocent civilians and children. Starving people deliberately and causing famine is a war crime. And the US is a willing accomplice. What did Trump, the GOP and the US Military Industrial Complex do first after the inauguration? They all went to Saudi Arabia and sold half a trillion dollars worth of planes and weapons. What a sick and twisted country the USA has become.

Yes it is. But because the Americans are backing this, and those are very much American bombs killing those civillians and causing this famine, it'll be turned around, and you'll see blame being deflected elsewhere. If anyone thinks the rather backwards Russians, the Chinese and the North Koreans (lol!) are good at subtly using soft power, modern media and social media tools to control the flow of information and influence perception, they're nothing compared to America. Just imagine a genuine super power doing it, one with massive economic advantages, far superior technological expertise, almost unlimited resources and a mature economy and media. Yeah, that's the Americans for you, the world's only genuine hyper power that's so far ahead of others in such warfare that they're able to cause a potential genocide, convince the majority of the West and their own people they're not involved, and amazingly, subtly implicate Iran. America can do no wrong, and their own people will just blame everyone but themselves. In the meantime, Yemen is suffering, but, as usual, the Americans will get away with it again. But one day history (outside of the US) will judge them harshly.

The Yemen Genocide—to call it a "civil war" deliberately ignores the massive difference in power between the rebels in Yemen and the US-armed Sauds—is the Sauds' and US's most shameful influence on the world this side of Vietnam or Crimea. I want both to fail there, and to leave!

Have you read Omar El Akkad's "American War"? You should.

The US and Saudis are undeniably committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Yemen. Better piece would be: how does the US get impunity for such atrocities. Spoiler: with a complicit media

Absolutely yes

The saudis are using the same brutal strategies they employ against terrorists and dissidents- brutal multi-faceted destruction. Never mind that most Yemenis (if that is the designation) are neutral in this game of thrones style war. This whole mess stinks of geopolitics (and it is!) without any care for those who get in the way. Sadly, both Iran and Saudi Arabia are ruled by monarchy/dictatorship and the ruling class in those systems typically look down upon the commoner and expect them to jump when commanded. I think this is why the Saudis are so brutal- they believe that the Middle East is their kingdom and that any citizen who fights against them will be destroyed along with their families and friends. Iran is not much different, but seems to project a different world image. In case anyone is wondering about my biases - I am a Sunni Muslim from Pakistan pretty much raised here in the US.

Yemen was fine until it came out in the so-called Arab Spring demonstrating that it was interested in "democracy." Saudi Arabia, its next door neighbor with a "ruling family" i.e., monarchy felt it was too close for comfort. Every media organization carried all of the nations in MENA (the Middle East Northern Africa) region. We saw it. Al-Hadi and the other installed President after he had to go. Saudi Arabia has had its hand in it from the start OR it started it because it thinks democracy is great elsewhere. Now, there is famine, chlorea and great pain in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is dropping bombs there claiming it is the Houthis. Were the Houthis the ones that were interested in democracy because Saudi Arabia is not! Did any democracy come to their defense? Yes! They are all war crimes. Yemen is filled with victims of a quest for something different i.e., democracy where they might be able to determine their destiny or fate. Who has helped them? Who is helping Saudi Arabia against them?

50,000 children killed according to foreign news sources. But you can hear crickets chirp as far as the American mainstream commercial media is concerned. Saudi Arabia will get away with it because it has oil and is an ally of the Masters of the Universe and Israel in their campaign against Iran. I recently read (in utter amazement) that the Saudis were given the human rights chair at the UN. It just doesn't get any more cynical and hypocritical than that.

The southerners have been under occupied rule for the past few decades by their northern brethren, who are currently taking the brunt of the suffering. The only reasonable solution is to partition the country to pre-1990 borders while maintaining an arms embargo in the North.

Yemen's war is a tragedy (even as we speak) and a crime, as the Saudi coalition, including the support of these United States, is starving innocent Yemenis on purpose. There is no redemption in this ongoing outrage. None.

the Saudis are criminals in their own countries. For mostly frivolous reasons and with the accused not given a chance of fair trials, they chop off the heads of 3 people per week on average. Imagine then what they are doing in Yemen. In fact, you do not need to imagine, if you do not believe the reporting, just go to Youtube to watch videos of their horrific bombing of civilians and of hospital scenes in Yemen. The Saudis, UAE, Egypt and the war profiteers, mainly US and UK, their governments and legislatures, every single one of those people, and every single worker at weapons makers, they are ALL war criminals.

“Saudi Arabia and its allies blocked more severe measures.” Was the United States among those allies? Answer, YES. The coverage is silent on the US role. Why? Why does the New York Times continue to ignore the US role in the atrocities being perpetrated in Yemen?

Yes it is two years and a half of war crimes enabled and supplied by a criminally complicit US, Western and regional allies of the Saudi dictatorship, the worst humanitarian crisis on earth yet which barely made any headline in our "free press", before reappearing quite recently only "thank" to the worst cholera outbreak on earth, a war largely hidden from the Western audience as part of the agenda of covering up foreign "allies"/shareholders crimes and misdeeds (like their funding of most of the Islamist terrorism in the world, ask Clinton and her memos, see the State Department leaks over Wikileaks, etc). Nauseous. I can't wait to see those responsible at the ICC. But that won't happen because US/"Western" officials are accomplices to the war crimes, and they do know how to use a veto at the UN SC or bully the world to have their way.

The Saudis almost certainly are committing crimes against the helpless,so too are their western backers.

Is Yemen's War a crime? This question would never have been asked if Saudi Arabia, the UAE were not the ones responsible for most crimes committed in Yemen. How can the U.S be part of that? How can the U.S blame Myanmar for the crimes It is committing against the Rohingyas while at the same time helping the Saudi coalition crimes in Yemen. The International community has to step up and do the right thing before it's too late. All crimes committed in Yemen have to be punished. No surprise, African countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court treaty. For it seems like that Court only goes after poor countries or black criminals.