Why is the US Getting Involved in Yemen?

[Donald_Rump]

So, eight months and counting into Saudi Arabia’s Yemen intervention, does anyone want to argue that it’s been anything but the ill-conceived quagmire some of us predicted in this thread?

Yemen is turning into Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam

So far Saudi Arabia’s efforts have largely succeeded in producing a humanitarian disaster for Yemen and a more favorable operating environment for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but not much else. They have not succeeded in restoring the status quo, nor have they caused any particular embarrassment to Iran (as if either of these is an intrinsically good thing). It also seems to have deepened rifts within the royal family.

Thankfully, the US has not become any more directly involved than when the intervention began. Unfortunately, we still continue to lend logistical/intelligence assistance and diplomatic cover to it.

[marshmallow]

Getting involved? America has been bombing Yemen on and off for years.

@Donald_Rump

How is throwing our weight behind Saudi Arabia’s armed intervention in a neighboring country’s domestic conflict “supporting stability?”

If America or its friends gets involved somewhere, that’s called bringing stability. If Russia, Iran, or China gets involved somewhere, that’s instability.

[BrainGlutton]

Bill Murray: [Graphic with the following text: News Poll - URINE 71% - YEMEN 9%] An NBC news poll shows that almost eight times as many Americans know that if you put a sleeping person’s hand in lukewarm water he will wet his bed as know which side we’re on in the North Yemen-South Yemen conflict.

– SNL, 1978

Plus ca change . . .

[marshmallow]

@BrainGlutton

Where’s the similarity?

None. When Americans want to compare a modern war to another the choices are limited. Feels like everything is either Vietnam (bad) or WWII (good). Just once I’d like to see a talking head be like oh snap, this is just like the Pig War of 1859!

[BrainGlutton]

@marshmallow

None. When Americans want to compare a modern war to another the choices are limited. Feels like everything is either Vietnam (bad) or WWII (good). Just once I’d like to see a talking head be like oh snap, this is just like the Pig War of 1859!

Only without the pigs, because, you know, Muslims . . .

[Nema98]

@XT

Not to be flip, but one has to simply look at a map to see what large oil producing nation is just north of Yemen to see the US (and probably more other industrialized nations that rely on oil) interest in this.

Actually, you’d be wiser to look at the Houthis in the context of what the other regional powers are either aligned or opposed to them to understand what’s going on…especially you’d have to look at what Saudi thinks of them and whether THEY see them as a threat (obviously they do or they wouldn’t have put together a coalition and started military operations against them).

The Houthis’ are aligned with Iran, Syria and Hezbolla, according to that Wiki link I gave earlier and they are right next to Saudi…and are obviously perceived as enough of a threat by the Saudi government to take military action. The US involvement at this point is pretty minimal from what I understand (unless it’s me that’s missing something).

Since, again, this seems to be more a Saudi show with the US providing intel (afaik) I don’t see it as an attempt by the US to curry anything, merely to support stability and a key regional ally who has a very large percentage of the worlds oil reserves in it’s borders. If Iran is pissed at that, well, that’s a shame I guess…perhaps they should choose more wisely themselves which splinter group they decide to throw their weight behind.

I have to give it to the side of the Yemeni govt of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and his Saudi Arabian and Arab backers. He is a the legitimate president of Yemen and he was the victim of a coup by the Houthis. Sure the Houthis have their own legitimate grievances but they really phucked up in all this. First they started this violence in a country that can ill afford such thing, Yemen is developmentally behind other Middle East countries. You do not overthrow the legitimate government, which they did and came barging into the capital Sanaa. This happened in September 2014, the Saudi led air strikes did not occur until March 2015, six months later. So the violence was the fault of the Houthis not the Hadi or Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have also been backed by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a creep to put it mildly who wants to make Yemen ungovernable for Hadi and anyone else. This guy was forced out by protests and a peace agreement in Feb 2012, but clearly he does not want to settle off into the sunset. He was to sow chaos, and his alliance with the Houthis is basically opportunistic.
For the Houthis to willingly and unwillingly allow themselves to be used by a former strongman to sow chaos is unforgivable. And as for Iran, for the past year Iranian generals and politicians had been running their mouth threatening a Shia takeover Of Saudi Arabia and other such threatening nonsense. Not saying Iran sated the rebellion but it is involved. Take for example the fact that Iran continues to defy United Nations resolutions and the vaval blockade that is in place to prevent weapons being shipped in Yemen. They are a trouble maker. Funny how Iran denounces those who support rebels in Syria who are fighting against the brutal Assad regime but feels it okay to support Houthis in Yemen against the legitimate government. I mean let’s compare Hadi with Assad, no comparison. Iran does not have a right to support any militia it wishes but denounce others and threatening them.

Yemen asked for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to stop the Houthis onslaught. So yes the Houthis screwed up big time. They are not flexible in peace talks mediated by Oman and they continue to launch military operations. They are a big reason for plunging Yemen into violence, an already unstable, impoverished nation.

I am all for the Saudis and Arabs in bombing these Houthis terrorists into the ground. Morally they have to lose.
And notice I did not mention U.S interests of oil shipping.
So XT I completely agree with you.

[Nema98]

@Donald_Rump

I’ll be interested if any posters can defend the administration’s policy, but this strikes me as a clear violation of the “don’t do stupid stuff” policy that I thought I had voted for (twice).

1. As I understand it the Houthis have had grievances for decades and are not mere Iranian pawns, as neocon commentary would suggest (more here).
2. The Houthis and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are mortal enemies, so if anything we should be in support of the Houthis, right?
3. Saudi Arabia clearly has an interest in derailing Western diplomacy with Iran because they benefit from Iran being a pariah state. Sucking us into a conflict that stands a good chance of getting us into direct confrontation with Iran plays into Saudi interests but clearly runs contrary to our own. The Saudis know that Obama is under intense domestic pressure not to appear soft on Iran, so they’re seizing an opportunity to extract diplomatic cover from the US despite our military leadership thinking their intervention is a bad idea.

Every time Obama does something really smart on foreign policy, he goes and messes it up with something like this. He handles the Syria chemical weapons crisis well–then he goes and declares a US commitment to “destroy” ISIS. He pulls off a potential diplomatic breakthrough with Iran, then he lets a troublesome client like Saudi Arabia rope him into this burgeoning fiasco in Yemen. I just wish we could expect a little more consistency.

While Vietnam is important to remember I don’t see how this as being similar. The U.S will not get involved, heck we no longer conduct drone strikes anymore. So our presence is lowest since Obama took office.
The Houthis have legitimate grievances but they started this violence and rebellion and went into the capital and overthrew President Hadi, plunging Yemen into violence. Not saying Saudi led air strikes have not killed civilians for they did. But the Houthis started all this. As I already mentioned the Saudi strikes started six months after all this. Yemeni president asked for Arab air strikes to stop the Houthis.
Yes there is Al Qeada affiliate but now they are more free to cause mayhem since this Houthi rebellion. Things are more unstable than before. Maybe Houthi control of Yemen won’t stop oil shipments but really Hadi is the legit president of Yemen. You can’t launch a coup against a government. This is different than Libya or Syria, Hadi is not like Gaddafi or Assad.
And just because there is al Qeada does not mean we have to support the Houthis and their coup. Just because there are terrorists does not mean who befriend any Tom, Dick and Harry. The Houthis screwed up big time, they are hurting Yemen, being supported by a thug former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh who is using them, and Iran.
Can it be Vietnam for Saudi Arabia, yes that’s a possibility. But for us, no we are not involved. I don’t see any indication we are going into Yemen, especially Under Obama. I can see him going into Syria, which he does not want to no matter what, let alone Yemen. We are supporting morally an ally, nothing strange about that.
Morally and interest wise Hadi being restored to office is the best outcome. I hope peace is reached and grievances from all sides addressed. Houthis included.

But they have shown to be very inflexible when negotiating and they continue to launch operations in Yemen. I have to go on the side of Saudi Arabia on this. Iran should shut up and stop trying to break the naval blockade. and the former president of Yemen is a threat to peace, he should be taken away in a strike.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2015/05/15/Iranian-threats-against-Saudi-Arabia.html

Hopefully they put their arms down and allow peace to come to that ravaged nation. Again I made no mention to oil interests or U.S interest.

[Donald_Rump]

So one reason the Saudis aren’t helping more in the war on ISIS is that they’re tied up bombing Yemen. Another piece of evidence that the war in Yemen is actively contrary to US interests and should not have our support.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/middleeast/as-us-escalates-air-war-on-isis-allies-slip-away.html?_r=2

Now, some of those officials note with resignation, the Arab partners have quietly left the United States to run the bulk of the air war in Syria — not the first time Washington has found allies wanting.

Most of the airstrikes in Syria over the past year have been conducted by the United States, while other allied countries have focused on targeting the Islamic State in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have shifted most of their aircraft to their fight against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Jordan, reacting to the grisly execution of one of its pilots by the Islamic State, and in a show of solidarity with the Saudis, has also diverted combat flights to Yemen. Jets from Bahrain last struck targets in Syria in February, coalition officials said. Qatar is flying patrols over Syria, but its role has been modest.

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

From today’s NYT:Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen.

And as regard to the suggestion in the penultimate paragraph of the OP, here’s what the article had to say:

@NY Times

Two days of discussions in the West Wing followed, but there was little real debate. Among other reasons, the White House needed to placate the Saudis as the administration completed a nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archenemy. That fact alone eclipsed concerns among many of the president’s advisers that the Saudi-led offensive would be long, bloody and indecisive.

[XT]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

From today’s NYT:Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen.

And as regard to the suggestion in the penultimate paragraph of the OP, here’s what the article had to say:

Reading through your article there it seems clear that the US is still only peripherally involved, mainly in giving Saudi intelligence. It’s Saudi military units doing the bulk of the fighting. In fact, in your article, they bring up again and again how inefficient this is, how the Saudi military is doing more damage and causing more causalities because of it’s risk averse nature. From your link:

The American advice and assistance to the campaign, which has included intelligence gathered from reconnaissance drones flying over Yemen, has limits. The help is coordinated by a 45-person American military planning group with personnel in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and overseen by Maj. Gen. Carl E. Mundy III, the deputy commander of Marines in the Middle East.

“We offer them coaching, but ultimately it’s their operation,” General Mundy said in a telephone interview.