Defense Secretary: Yemen Gov’t Collapse ‘A Real Problem’

I can’t think of a more meaningless statement than “those responsible for today’s violence must be held accountable”. How? Give them 15 demerits? Off to bed without supper? Volunteer US forces for yet another ineffectual unnecessary operation? I’m disgusted with whole pack of mealy mouthed politicians who pretend to take truth to bed but get up in the morning with falsehood.

Mr. Roberts Gates surely see a problem if Yemeni president Abdullah Saleh is overthrown. But the problem is not really for Yemenis, or for the quality of
a Yemeni democratically elected government that might emerge. The problem is that a new government may ask the U.S. to stop bombing its territory whenever
it wants, and strikes anything that may look suspicious to the U.S. interests. Saleh has given the U.S. authority to bomb anything and any time under one
condition: “The U.S. should not brag that it bombed Yemen; it should say that the Yemeni air force did the bombing.” Without Saleh in office, the U.S. might have to ask any new government permission to bomb any Yemeni it considers to be a militant. And that is the “the problem” that Gates is talking about.
But that is not all. Yemen is practically a sub-state of Saudi Arabia, which finances the dowries of thousands of Yemeni men – amounts from $ 1.500 to 3.000- they have to pay to the families of brides. And those marriages and ceremonies are held together in vast gatherings in which speakers laud the generosity and the good will of Saudi Arabia. In addition Saudi Arabia pay bribes to Yemeni tribal chiefs to maintain friendly relations with them, and in return those tribal leaders try to keep anti-Saudi rebels out of their tribal domain. In return, Saudi Arabia has also permission from Saleh to bomb Saudi rebels in remote Yemeni areas at will. A new democratically elected Yemeni government may require both the U.S. and the the Saudis to ask permission before they bomb their assumed enemies in Yemen. And that probable hitch worries Gates as well, since the Saudi rebels are also the enemies of the U.S.!
The epilogue: Abdullah Saleh has been “a stooge” of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia for more than three decades. And he lasted for 32 years unchallenged
in power with the help, the support, and the financing of the U.S. and the Saudis. And both the U.S. and the Saudis are worried now that an elected government in Yemen may turn things upside-down, that is: Put the interests of the Yemeni people first, and serve them – rather than cater to its current
outside patrons! But the Yemeni people have decided to “recover” the control of their government from outsiders. And we must respect that! Nikos Retsos, retired professor

U.S. foreign policy toward terrorism is based on faulty reasoning. President Bush stated, “some people are good, and some people are bad, and the bad people want to hurt the good people.” Who has the right to judge?
The root cause of terrorism is that people on the bottom have no voice in matters of grave concern, and must raise their voice to be heard, oftentimes to the point of violence. If your plan does not address the root cause of the problem, it makes things worse.
For peace to come, everyone person on the planet must be able to create the life he or she wants without interference, be treated fairly and equally, and have a voice in our government. These are inalienable rights granted to us by the Creator of us all. To have a sense of peace and prosperity, it behooves a government to stand on these inalienable rights. There is no need to stand in protest if the people have a voice.