FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 4, 2021
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, in a White House press briefing, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated the U.S. will end its support for offensive operations in Yemen. Defense Priorities Fellow Daniel DePetris issued the following statement in response:
“Ending U.S. offensive support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen would advance U.S. interests and values. This move could be a long-overdue step toward a more sensible and balanced U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
“U.S. aid assisted the Saudi Arabia and UAE intervention in Yemen, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation there and turning the U.S. into a combatant in one of the region’s most violent civil wars. U.S. diplomatic and military support has not enabled the Saudi side to win or move the diplomatic process forward—if anything, it disincentivizes peace by encouraging Riyadh to avoid offering workable terms to the Houthis. The result has been a six-year stalemate, where U.S.-manufactured bombs and missiles are often used callously and irresponsibly against civilians by the Saudi-led coalition.
“Because U.S. security does not depend on who wins Yemen’s civil war, U.S. policy there need not sacrifice U.S. values to please the Saudis or Emiratis. The U.S. should be neutral and support a settlement. Coupled with the termination of offensive support, the appointment of Timothy Lenderking as special envoy to Yemen is an encouraging sign of the administration’s intent to extricate the U.S. and support the U.N.-facilitated peace process.”
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