THE American government can not afford to ignore the peaceful protest for freedom and democracy in Yemen. Again, we are guilty of allowing the American military-industrial complex to dictate our foreign policy based on the profits of war because for these corporations war is profitable and they don't care who is hurt, who suffers, as long as their profits increase. Americans pay for this with our tax dollars and with the blood of our military, citizens of other countries pay for this with their blood shed by their repressive governments and through poverty, hunger, sickness, lack of education and the total denial of their human rights. The people of Yemen, as well as the people of Tunisia and Egypt have had enough, and the American government must join with them and support their struggle for freedom, for democracy, for their human rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Failure to do so will cause history to judge us poorly, more importantly we will face many more threats to our security, economically and militarily, by supporting and maintaining the status quo.
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
SANAA, YEMEN - Inspired by the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis took to the streets Thursday demanding an end to the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled this impoverished Middle Eastern nation for more than three decades.
The rally, one of the largest demonstrations in this capital in recent memory, unfolded in four neighborhoods. Protesters wore pink scarves and pink bandannas and clutched pink placards. Some described their struggle as the "Pink Revolution," an allusion to Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution.
"Thirty-two years is enough. Tunisia revolted after 23 years," some chanted.
"Look at Tunisia with pride," others chanted. "Yemen has strong people, too."
Yemen's unrest represents a widening of the upheavals unfolding across the Arab world. It poses yet another threat to the stability of this U.S. ally, which al-Qaeda militants are using as a base to target the West and its allies.
The protests followed two days of riots in Egypt and daily demonstrations on the streets of the Tunisian capital, Tunis. But unlike the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Thursday's rally here was peaceful and organized. Fueled by boisterous opposition party members, from socialists to Islamists, and youth activists, the protests seemed designed to send a carefully calibrated message of regime change rather than to incite chaos.
Protesters shut down streets, sang songs and shouted patriotic slogans, as soldiers and riot police wearing helmets and carrying batons and shields watched. Security was tight around the capital.
"This is a military state, not a democracy," said Manna Fatah, a university professor. "After 32 years, it is time for change. We want a bloodless revolution."
The poorest country in the Middle East, Yemen is struggling with many of the same problems faced by other Arab nations, including high unemployment, low wages, rising prices and widespread corruption. In addition to the threat posed by al-Qaeda's Yemen branch, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the weak government is grappling with a rebellion in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.
"The people are suffering," said Khalil al-Mikhlafi, 27, who works in microfinance. "When I was a teacher, I earned $150 a month. There is too much corruption, too much neglect."
"The Yemeni people used to be silent," he added a few moments later. "Now they want to explode. They have lost their patience."
In an effort to defuse the unrest, Saleh in a televised speech raised the salaries of the army and denied accusations that he was trying to anoint his son as his successor. He also ordered income taxes cut in half and sought adequate controls on inflation. But Yemenis from all walks of life, from the poor to the middle class, have taken to the streets over the past two weeks, calling for Saleh's removal. It is a demand that few citizens in the past would have dared to utter.
More than 10,000 protesters descended on Hurriyah (Freedom) Street outside the campus ofSanaa University on Thursday. Witnesses said a similar number, if not more, gathered in the capital's Hasabah enclave, near the house of the former leader of Islah, the nation's major Islamist party. Thousands more gathered at the two other locations.
A pro-government rally in the capital, also held at four locations, attracted far fewer supporters.
Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemeni government spokesman, said there were no major clashes or arrests, and he described the police presence as minimal. "The government of the Republic of Yemen strongly respects the democratic right for a peaceful assembly," Basha said in a statement.
The many grievances against the government were on full display on Hurriyah Street. Some protesters carried signs that read: "Our stomachs ache. There is no bread." Others carried signs that denounced Saleh and his family's efforts to remain in power.
Opposition leaders over megaphones spoke angrily about the country's high poverty rate, corruption and the lack of jobs, even for college graduates.
"My life is difficult," said Mahmoud Ali, 20, a pink scarf wrapped around his neck. "I have no job. The prices of everything - food, transportation - are rising. What's happening in Tunisia and Egypt has encouraged us to come out and demand our rights."
As he spoke, the crowds began to chant once again:
"The people want the president replaced. Live free, Yemen."
Nearby, Abdul Hafidh al-Dhurafi, 30, a teacher, shouted to be heard. "We will continue to protest until there's change," he declared, his hands balling up into a fist.
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label Islah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islah. Show all posts
25 January 2011
Government Backed With US Guns Arrests Activist Backed By USAID from WAR IS BUSINESS 25JAN11
ANOTHER example of why we should be celebrating Wikileak's release of the diplomatic cables exposing the lies, manipulation and propaganda of the U.S. government. Just weeks after Sec. of State Clinton lectures the government of Yemen about human rights, freedom and democracy, just weeks after the people's revolution in Tunisia, we find out we are still supplying the weapons the government of Yemen to repress the peaceful political opposition in that country. And the American people have become so brainwashed by the military-industrial complex and the politicians they have paid for in Congress that they would rather see our tax dollars supporting selling or giving weapons systems to repressive governments than be spent on schools, economic development, supporting democratic institutions, and health care.....and so we end up facing greater risk from terrorist groups, requiring more spending on weapons systems and military foreign aid....
This from WarIsBusiness....
If Americans should take anything from today’s protests in Egypt, last weekend’s protests in Pakistan and Yemen, and the popular revolution in Tunisia, it is this: the United States spends more money enabling corruption in the Muslim world than it does supporting democracy.
Consider the example of Yemen. Over the weekend, Al Jazeera English reported that police “fired tear gas at the demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime.” The protests in the capital, Sana’a, were inspired in part by the the arrest of journalist and organizer Tawakul Karman.
Karman, pictured, was freed on Monday. A few news organizations that covered the protests mentioned that Karman was recently nominated for a US State Department award for her courage in the face of threats. No one, however, pointed out that her anti-corruption group, Women Journalists Without Chains, has received American government funds through the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
Kamran’s organization benefited from a grant worth tens of thousands of dollars. The government that threw her in jail for protesting without a permit has received more than $300 million worth of US military assistance over the years.
Karman belongs to the opposition party, Islah. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (pictured below) claims Islah has terrorist connections.
So did the US government make a mistake by supporting the work of a “revolutionary” Islamist who could be portrayed, through the fuzzy logic of the war on terror, as being only a few steps removed from Al Qaeda?
No. If the US made a mistake, it was supplying guns and bombs to yet another authoritarian ruler whose oppressive tactics only fuel public resentment.
This classified State Department cable—from the batch of thousands leaked by Bradley Manning—all but accuses President Saleh of attempting to use US military assistance to murder his political opponents.
The backdrop for the year-old cable is that Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been using American hardware to fight an insurgent group, the Houthis, along the border shared by the two countries. The cable describes a meeting between Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Khaled bin Sultan and the US Ambassador to Riyadh, James B. Smith.
Smith threatened to stop supplying satellite imagery to Saudi Arabia “in light of evidence that Saudi aircraft may have struck civilian targets”—in particular, a hospital.
“If we had the Predator [drone], maybe we would not have this problem,” Prince Khaled replied.
The prince’s cynical bid for more advanced weaponry is perhaps the least objectionable exchange in this troubling document, which, aside from a Miami Herald story and an article in an aviation trade journal, seems to have gone unreported by the press.
In the cable, Prince Khaled explains how the Saudi Air Force selects targets in northern Yemen based on the recommendations of a “Saudi-Yemeni joint committee” of senior officers. Here’s the key passage:
The prince does not claim that Saleh personally placed a rival on a hit list. But the leaked State Department cables offer more reasons to suspect Saleh would prefer American bombs to do his political dirty work. In one cable, the Yemeni president attempts to tie the Islah party—”largely recognized as moderate”—to Al Qaeda. In another cable, Saleh’s foreign minister claims that an Islah leader’s public criticism of civilian casualties in the US-backed airstrikes constitute a “defense” of Al Qaeda.
The good news, judging from the tone of the cables, is that US diplomats seem to be aware that Saleh’s information may not be 100 percent reliable.
The bad news is that awareness of such opportunism by the Yemeni government appears to have little effect so far on American policy in the region. The arms deals for authoritarians keep getting bigger, while support for activists like Karman could be cut to zero.
This from WarIsBusiness....
If Americans should take anything from today’s protests in Egypt, last weekend’s protests in Pakistan and Yemen, and the popular revolution in Tunisia, it is this: the United States spends more money enabling corruption in the Muslim world than it does supporting democracy.Consider the example of Yemen. Over the weekend, Al Jazeera English reported that police “fired tear gas at the demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime.” The protests in the capital, Sana’a, were inspired in part by the the arrest of journalist and organizer Tawakul Karman.
Karman, pictured, was freed on Monday. A few news organizations that covered the protests mentioned that Karman was recently nominated for a US State Department award for her courage in the face of threats. No one, however, pointed out that her anti-corruption group, Women Journalists Without Chains, has received American government funds through the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
Kamran’s organization benefited from a grant worth tens of thousands of dollars. The government that threw her in jail for protesting without a permit has received more than $300 million worth of US military assistance over the years.
Karman belongs to the opposition party, Islah. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (pictured below) claims Islah has terrorist connections.
So did the US government make a mistake by supporting the work of a “revolutionary” Islamist who could be portrayed, through the fuzzy logic of the war on terror, as being only a few steps removed from Al Qaeda?
No. If the US made a mistake, it was supplying guns and bombs to yet another authoritarian ruler whose oppressive tactics only fuel public resentment.
This classified State Department cable—from the batch of thousands leaked by Bradley Manning—all but accuses President Saleh of attempting to use US military assistance to murder his political opponents.The backdrop for the year-old cable is that Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been using American hardware to fight an insurgent group, the Houthis, along the border shared by the two countries. The cable describes a meeting between Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Khaled bin Sultan and the US Ambassador to Riyadh, James B. Smith.
Smith threatened to stop supplying satellite imagery to Saudi Arabia “in light of evidence that Saudi aircraft may have struck civilian targets”—in particular, a hospital.
“If we had the Predator [drone], maybe we would not have this problem,” Prince Khaled replied.
The prince’s cynical bid for more advanced weaponry is perhaps the least objectionable exchange in this troubling document, which, aside from a Miami Herald story and an article in an aviation trade journal, seems to have gone unreported by the press.
In the cable, Prince Khaled explains how the Saudi Air Force selects targets in northern Yemen based on the recommendations of a “Saudi-Yemeni joint committee” of senior officers. Here’s the key passage:
Prince Khaled also reported that the Saudis had problems with some of the targeting recommendations received from the Yemeni side. For instance, there was one occasion when Saudi pilots aborted a strike, when they sensed something was wrong about the information they received from the Yemenis. It turned out that the site recommended to be hit was the headquarters of General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the Yemeni northern area military commander, who is regarded as a political opponent to President Saleh. This incident prompted the Saudis to be more cautious about targeting recommendations from the Yemeni government.Some background: Ali Mohsen happens to be Saleh’s half-brother. He also reportedly recruited Yemeni fighters for Osama Bin Laden back in the 1980s, when Bin Laden shared a common, anti-Soviet cause with the US. Ali Mohsen’s history goes unmentioned in the State Department cable, and he doesn’t appear on current public US terrorist lists. All of this context is important in the broader context of the war on terror, but it’s not necessarily germane to the issue raised in the cable: That Saleh’s government may be supplying targets based on political opportunism.
The prince does not claim that Saleh personally placed a rival on a hit list. But the leaked State Department cables offer more reasons to suspect Saleh would prefer American bombs to do his political dirty work. In one cable, the Yemeni president attempts to tie the Islah party—”largely recognized as moderate”—to Al Qaeda. In another cable, Saleh’s foreign minister claims that an Islah leader’s public criticism of civilian casualties in the US-backed airstrikes constitute a “defense” of Al Qaeda.
The good news, judging from the tone of the cables, is that US diplomats seem to be aware that Saleh’s information may not be 100 percent reliable.
The bad news is that awareness of such opportunism by the Yemeni government appears to have little effect so far on American policy in the region. The arms deals for authoritarians keep getting bigger, while support for activists like Karman could be cut to zero.
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