Yemenis Don't Hate us Because we are Free

A recent poll in Yemen showed 96% of the people expressed opposition to their government’s cooperation with the US government.

(Jamestown, RI) - You may or may not know that the US has supported the dictator of Yemen for years, so when the Arab Spring occurred we tried very hard to look the other way and stick our head in the sand, while Mr. Saleh killed and murdered protestors.

Meanwhile in Libya we intervened militarily and will do so in Syria in the near future, unless Russia and China really put their foot down attempting to prevent US military expansion through force, by entering another nation’s civil war.

After a long brutal struggle against his people, Saleh finally agreed to step down and came to the US for sanctuary. Throughout the long violent downfall of Saleh the US was conspicuously quiet, and our usually bombastic diplomatic corps headed by Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice were suddenly very “diplomatic” when talking about Saleh’s murders.

The dictator finally agreed to end his rule and President Obama gave permission for Saleh to come to the US where he has been living a life of luxury in a posh New York City hotel. For years Saleh had been armed by the US government, he used his military might to keep his people in line during his 33 year reign, and had been a good a good puppet. We like to stick by our friends.

President Obama took the time to praise the latest election in Yemen, suggesting this might be a big step towards democracy, but on the very day Obama praised the election, bombs were detonated killing at least 26 people in Yemen. Not everyone is happy and content with the latest election.

Some might oppose the election because there was only one candidate. That’s correct one candidate; a loyal supporter, a former general, and Vice President of Saleh over the years, and who is friendly towards the US. More US military aid is currently being discussed for Yemen and the US already gave 2 million dollars to the electoral commission which planned and oversaw the election.

It was the US who brokered the deal for this new one man “election”, and was also responsible for Saleh being given immunity for his actions as dictator of Yemen. A comparison of Saleh’s treatment with that of Muammar Qaddafi proves instructional.

Meanwhile Saleh has been busy packing his bags so he can return to Yemen. That’s right; he will return to Yemen. Part of the US brokered deal requires that he step aside, but under the “arrangement” he is allowed to participate in the politics of Yemen.

Again many skeptics in Yemen suspect that this “arrangement” has merely turned over the reins of government to one of Saleh’s loyalists, while in reality Saleh will have unlimited influence in the “new” government, or even run the government through front men. Perhaps Saleh has not abdicated his power after all, and this might explain the bombs being detonated in Yemen.

A recent poll in Yemen showed 96% of the people expressed opposition to their government’s cooperation with the US government. Because of this, a military base in Yemen would be the source of Yemeni anger, but the US has apparently found a way to get its base.

Socotra, a small island about 200 miles off Yemen is seeing a huge US military build-up in recent months, some suggesting in preparation for the neocons planned war against Iran. The build-up is being done without discussion in the US, but is well documented on the internet.

Ladies and gentlemen, either way we have a new puppet, or an old one in disguise, even if many in Yemen might not.

All’s well that ends well; for the US that is. Readers however, might anticipate “blowback” at some point from this kind of US interference in the affairs of others.

Salem-News.com Writer Joe Clifford, lives in historic Jamestown, Rhode Island, and has contributed a number of articles relating to foreign policy to newspapers in the Rhode Island area for years.

He graduated from Providence College where he earned an undergraduate and graduate degree. After a lengthy career as a high school teacher he turned to the study of US foreign policy, and then to writing, as a means of expressing an alternative perspective. His reading and research on foreign policy is broad and extensive, especially as the policy relates to the Middle East. His interest in foreign policy was inspired by the American misadventure in Vietnam. You can write to Joe at this address: jc21131@gmail.com