American newspaper: Yemenis are the main victims of Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia!

The American newspaper, Politico, said that Biden’s upcoming meeting with bin Salman is evidence of the White House’s return to its traditional deal with Riyadh.

The article pointed out that the United States forcibly ignores Saudi Arabia’s violations of human rights in Yemen, stressing that innocent Yemenis are the main victims of this meeting.

In addition, it emphasized that the area around Al-Ma’asheq Palace is now occupied by “wild dogs” and that the recent government affiliated with Riyadh has little authority on the ground. The occupied southern province of Aden is filled with checkpoints belonging to rival militias, many of them are just teenagers carrying AK-47s on their shoulders.

Last summer, demonstrators angry about the deteriorating living conditions in Aden stormed the palace, forcing the government to flee by helicopter.

Moreover, it also added that Yemenis express their hopes for improving their daily lives, for example, lifting checkpoints that harass families, and returning basic services such as electricity and drinkable water…etc.

At the same time, many also expressed cynicism about whether the current political system could fulfill even those modest requirements. They described their leaders as corrupt, highly dependent on foreigners, and too addicted to profiting from war.

It reported that Saudi Arabia and the UAE led Aden to collapse, chaos and poverty. In addition, the militias backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been subjected to air strikes in the past years, and the ongoing competition has led to infighting between factions and groups within the mercenary government backed by Riyadh.

The newspaper revealed that the economic crisis caused by the mercenary government has exacerbated the situation in areas and governorates not governed by Sanaa, as the leaders of Aden created hyperinflation by printing huge amounts of Yemeni currency.

The central bank governor was responsible for increasing the impoverishment of the world’s poorest country, receiving $40,000 a month – the highest salary in the world for this position.

The newspaper saw that all of this happened with Washington’s support for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their local Yemeni allies. Three American presidents now looked to Riyadh to solve the catastrophe taking place in Yemen, without much success so far.

As President Joe Biden heads to Saudi Arabia next month to mend ties with Mohammed bin Salman, some critics and progressives in Biden’s party are freaking out, for they were hoping to punish Riyadh for its role in Yemen, as the first step in a broader reassessment of the US partnership that has been going on for decades with the Saudis.

Instead, the article noted, Biden has made common cause with the Saudis on Yemen and now appears willing to sacrifice his pledge about changing the US foreign policy, for restoring the relationship between Washington and Riyadh.

The article emphasized that the United States has been closely linked to the war in Yemen since its beginning. Saudi Arabia announced the beginning of its military operation in 2015, against Yemen from Washington, and the administration of President Barack Obama accelerated arms sales to the kingdom and increased logistical and intelligence support to assist in the bombing campaign.

Some Obama administration officials acknowledged that the Saudi-led campaign would be a humanitarian and strategic disaster, but they justified US support as the price they need to pay in order to fix the strained relations with Riyadh.

The progressives in US foreign policy see Biden’s upcoming meeting with bin Salman as evidence that the White House is returning to its traditional deal with Riyadh. Nevertheless, the Saudis will ensure the flow of oil to global markets and reduce gas prices. However, it is found that the first victims of this trade are the innocent Yemenis.

The political newspaper also explained that Biden administration officials are quick to point out that Sanaa’s forces are the primary obstacle to the peace agreement, not the Saudis. The Yemeni armed forces have increasingly targeted Saudi Arabia and the UAE with missiles and drones.

Yemeni missile attacks on Saudi territory have become more deadly over the course of the war. A raid in March on an oil warehouse caused fire and smoke to rise in the sky of Jeddah.

The newspaper said that during the Democratic primary, Biden referred to Saudi Arabia as a “pariah”, saying it needed accountability for killing children in Yemen and planning the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He also promised to re-evaluate the US relationship with Riyadh.

Some of Biden’s top foreign policy advisers were more specific. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, among others, signed an open letter in 2018 essentially issuing a public apology for the Obama administration’s support for the Saudi war in Yemen.

The letter, signed by 30 former Obama administration officials, acknowledged that their approach had not worked and called on the United States to end participation in or any form of support for this conflict.

The administration of President Donald Trump appears to have made a consensus among both left-wing and moderate Democrats that the United States needs to seriously rethink its relationship with the Saudi monarchy — and that this effort will begin in Yemen.

But under Biden, that consensus has collapsed. After the Biden administration backed arms sales to Riyadh last year, critics in Congress sought to block the sales. The effort failed easily as Senate Democrats split over the vote. Foreign policy progressives are frustrated that the administration did not fully overhaul the US relationship with Saudi Arabia, and are also angry that US contractors continue to provide maintenance support to Saudi warplanes bombing Yemen.

“Human rights are still often treated as a cudgel to use against U.S. adversaries, while U.S. partners get permission to commit abuses and are rewarded with new weapons,” says Matt Doss, a foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the leaders of the failed legislation to block arms sales to Riyadh.