Joe Biden and Yemen

[Derec]

First, a disclaimer. I still plan to vote for Joe Biden based on the doctrine of the lesser of two weevils.

That out of the way, why does Biden want to abandon Yemen to the Houthis?
Biden to end US support for Yemen war

This would give a big advantage to the Houthis, who are trying to take over Yemen. Houthis, just like Hezbollah in Lebanon/Syria, are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (whose former fearless leader, Gen. Soleimani, was eliminated by US in January).
That means that a Houthi victory in Yemen would mean a major base of operations for the Iranian Islamic Theocracy on the Arabian peninsula which would be a very bad thing for US national security and overall geopolitical stability.

And why is Biden promising this? Is there this huge voting block of Iran/Houthi sympathizers he is trying to get to vote for him? I somehow doubt that voting block is that big. It's more likely that extremist Muslim Democrats like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have pushed him to adopt that position.

Now, I do understand that the Yemen war has been a clusterfuck for five years. But the solution is not to abandon the country to Iran. The solution is to abandon the half-measure of merely logistically supporting KSA and instead adopting full measures like US should have done in 2015.

Strike Houthi positions, including those in Sana'a, with "shock and awe" like intensity. Kill/wound as many fighters as you can. Destroy as many artillery pieces, vehicles, as well as command and control facilities as possible. Then the proper Yemeni army can push through the weakened Houthi positions and retake the country from those Iranian proxies.

 

[funinspace]

LOL...Yeah 'Shock and Awe' worked out so fucking well last time.

The SA (and Pigglet states) campaign has been such a beautiful thing, that Yemen is now one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. There are no winners here.

And there is no 'proper Yemeni army', it is just a mishmash of foreign backed power bases and a foreign backed wanna be return dictator.

Thank Zeus, that Biden has seen a minor light, and is willing to be less of a neocon lite. There are plenty of Democrats/progressives that are frustrated by the US perpetual campaign of militaristic domination over the ME and North Africa, and would most probably see this a positive thing.

 

[Derec]

LOL...Yeah 'Shock and Awe' worked out so fucking well last time.

Shock and awe worked great actually. The failures came afterward.
Unlike in Iraq, the goal would be to restore the rightful government after a foreign-controlled insurgency (the Houthis) has taken hold. I do not propose US occupy Yemen. Just soften up the Houthis so the Yemeni army can mop them up.
Granted, this strategy would have worked much better and easier in 2015, but better late than never.

The SA (and Pigglet states) campaign has been such a beautiful thing, that Yemen is now one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. There are no winners here.

The humanitarian disaster is very real, and a consequence of the prolonged war. Which in turn is the consequence of the West choosing half-measures when full measures were necessary.

And there is no 'proper Yemeni army', it is just a mishmash of foreign backed power bases and a foreign backed wanna be return dictator.

There is a Yemeni army.
It has been greatly diminished due to years of war against the Iranian-backed invasion, but it still exists.

Thank Zeus, that Biden has seen a minor light, and is willing to be less of a neocon lite.

And what when he does it? He will be abandoning Yemen to Iran. Iran already has de-facto control of Syria and Iraq and is has major influence in Lebanon. Yemen would be yet another domino to fall, with the likely endgame of conquering Saudi oil fields.
And for what? To feel less like a "neocon lite"? To appease anti-Saudi democrats who only hate KSA now because MbS is not quite the anti-Israel zealot as some of his uncles, e.g. King Faisal?
Iran taking over a country on the Arabian peninsula would be a geopolitical disaster for the US and the West in general and should be prevented by all means necessary!

There are plenty of Democrats/progressives that are frustrated by the US perpetual campaign of militaristic domination over the ME and North Africa, and would most probably see this a positive thing.

So-called progressives are naïve at best and anti-West at worst.
Besides, US does not have "militaristic domination" anywhere in North Africa. Even in the Middle East, US military role is grossly overstated.
Trump was wrong to abandon Syria to Iran and Russia, and Biden would be wrong to abandon Yemen to Iran. Period!

 

[laughing dog]

My understanding is that Yemen has been a mess for decades. There used to be a North and a South Yemen. From my understanding, the notion of stability or influence there is a pipe dream.

Anyone who has paid attention to the Middle East ought to know by now that we have little to no clue on how to deal effectively there or to achieve lasting peace in any region.

Frankly, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it was the policies of the British and French (and to a lesser degree, the USA) that created the mess in that entire region.

 

[funinspace]

Shock and awe worked great actually. The failures came afterward.

(Removed)

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Strike Houthi positions, including those in Sana'a, with "shock and awe" like intensity. Kill/wound as many fighters as you can. Destroy as many artillery pieces, vehicles, as well as command and control facilities as possible. Then the proper Yemeni army can push through the weakened Houthi positions and retake the country from those Iranian proxies.

Are you advocating killing civilians by "collateral damage?"

And for what? Won't the winners ally to Saudi Arabia?

 

[Trausti]

Would be nice if the US would let a generation go by without war. Trump didn’t start any new wars and pulled us out of Syria. If Biden also agrees that the US should not be fighting other people’s wars, good.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Shock and awe worked great actually. The failures came afterward.

There was no "shock and awe". The US military negotiated with the Iraqi military for them to surrender. There never was a war. Just a failed occupation during a very predictable insurgency.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Would be nice if the US would let a generation go by without war. Trump didn’t start any new wars and pulled us out of Syria. If Biden also agrees that the US should not be fighting other people’s wars, good.

...and they all lived happily ever after.

 

[J842P]

First, a disclaimer. I still plan to vote for Joe Biden based on the doctrine of the lesser of two weevils.

That out of the way, why does Biden want to abandon Yemen to the Houthis?
Biden to end US support for Yemen war

This would give a big advantage to the Houthis, who are trying to take over Yemen. Houthis, just like Hezbollah in Lebanon/Syria, are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (whose former fearless leader, Gen. Soleimani, was eliminated by US in January).
That means that a Houthi victory in Yemen would mean a major base of operations for the Iranian Islamic Theocracy on the Arabian peninsula which would be a very bad thing for US national security and overall geopolitical stability.

And why is Biden promising this? Is there this huge voting block of Iran/Houthi sympathizers he is trying to get to vote for him? I somehow doubt that voting block is that big. It's more likely that extremist Muslim Democrats like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have pushed him to adopt that position.

Now, I do understand that the Yemen war has been a clusterfuck for five years. But the solution is not to abandon the country to Iran. The solution is to abandon the half-measure of merely logistically supporting KSA and instead adopting full measures like US should have done in 2015.
View attachment 29687
Strike Houthi positions, including those in Sana'a, with "shock and awe" like intensity. Kill/wound as many fighters as you can. Destroy as many artillery pieces, vehicles, as well as command and control facilities as possible. Then the proper Yemeni army can push through the weakened Houthi positions and retake the country from those Iranian proxies.

Because it is an insane war.

The best thing for geopolitical stability is re-alignment to cooperation with the Iranian regime. Iranian Theocratic Islam is certainly more in the interests of the United States than the alternative.

 

[Politesse]

There's no positive option in this war; US involvement will lead to no good outcomes for us or anyone else. Your imagination is generating a scenario that would not actually happen, and would be a familiar-looking disaster in the aftermath even if it did.

 

[ZiprHead]

Now, I do understand that the Yemen war has been a clusterfuck for five years. But the solution is not to abandon the country to Iran.

What do you think would happen if we did so?

 

[funinspace]

(The Clean Version)

Shock and awe worked great actually. The failures came afterward.

Sounds like a great one night stand for a guy...I guess there was no Part II...