The United States and Britain launched dozens of military strikes on Yemen on Thursday, raising fears of an escalation of conflict in the region. The strikes, launched in response to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea that have disrupted global trade, left at least five people dead. The Houthi movement began targeting ships in November “essentially using a naval blockade in the Red Sea to prevent the blockade against civilians in Gaza,” according to our guest, Yemeni American scholar Shireen Al-Adeimi. “This is an offensive act. This is a breach of Yemeni sovereignty,” she says about the U.S. coalition’s strikes, which were launched without approval from Congress, and which Al-Adeimi additionally characterizes as “a defense of capitalism.”
Powerful nations almost inevitably sponsor terrorist groups to be a thorn in the side for other nations. These terrorists target civilians to ensure a disproportionate response. There is no end to these conflicts because the primary fighters have no desire to negotiate and are willing to sacrifice any civilians around them as meat shields.
The U.S. does it (Taliban v1, many coups). Israel does it (Hamas). Iran does it (Hamas, Hezbolla and Yemen). Russia does it (Taliban v2, many coups).
Can’t remember hearing about China or India doing it though? But they care about a different part of the world and so I’m not sure I hear about it as much in western media.
China supports and backs the MNDAA, which is nominally a terrorist organization but really (like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Ansarallah) probably does a better job of governance than the Myanmar government.
Yes, and even within a country there are often various factions taking action at the same time but with different aims, like when American president JFK wouldn’t send reinforcements for the Bay of Pigs invasion and the coup was foiled.
My take on it:
Powerful nations almost inevitably sponsor terrorist groups to be a thorn in the side for other nations. These terrorists target civilians to ensure a disproportionate response. There is no end to these conflicts because the primary fighters have no desire to negotiate and are willing to sacrifice any civilians around them as meat shields.
The U.S. does it (Taliban v1, many coups). Israel does it (Hamas). Iran does it (Hamas, Hezbolla and Yemen). Russia does it (Taliban v2, many coups).
Can’t remember hearing about China or India doing it though? But they care about a different part of the world and so I’m not sure I hear about it as much in western media.
China supports and backs the MNDAA, which is nominally a terrorist organization but really (like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Ansarallah) probably does a better job of governance than the Myanmar government.
Yes, and even within a country there are often various factions taking action at the same time but with different aims, like when American president JFK wouldn’t send reinforcements for the Bay of Pigs invasion and the coup was foiled.