Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
April 09, 2015

In Lack Of Self Awareness Kerry Accuses Iran Over War On Yemen

Is lack of self awareness a requirement for becoming U.S. Secretary of State?

To recap: The former Yemeni president was installed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. Depending on the narrative one chooses (all of these are somewhat true) his mandate expired, he resigned or was ousted in a coup by a locals tribal/religious group, the Houthi, in collusion with the former president Saleh. The president fled from the country to Saudi Arabia. No one in Yemen wants him back.

Next Saudi Arabia starts a war on Yemen and bombs military, government and economic targets killing soldiers as well as civilians and creating a massive hunger crisis. Yet another food distribution center was destroyed today. A ground attack is in planning and may commence soon.

Yemen is depend on food imports and also on imported hydrocarbon products like fuel, gasoline and for electricity. The ports are blocked and expected import transports with food and petrol get turned away. For lack of raw materials the last running refinery in Yemen just shut down. Lack of food and gasoline for water pumps and transport will predictably create mass starvation within the already destitute population.

The new ruling group in Yemen has no interest in creating trouble abroad. It is successfully fighting AlQaeda which tries to nab up parts of the country. Is that the reason for the Saudi attacks? The Houthis claim that Saudi air attacks on prisons are designed to free AlQaeda members.

The U.S. supports the illegal Saudi War on Yemen and the Saudi demand to return Hadi to power. When the president of Ukraine was driven out in a coup would that have justified bombing attacks by the Russian air-force against Kiev? Why shouldn't Russia act interfere in neighboring Ukraine when the U.S. is literally fueling the far-away war on Yemen?

There is little international support for the Houthi and while Iran has verbally supported them and called for a peaceful solution of the situation no evidence has been shown that that there is any material support coming from Tehran.

But all the facts above seem to be unavailable to the brain of Secretary of State Kerry. In an interview with PBS he, who is supporting the war on Yemen, is accusing Iran of what the Saudis do:

We’re well aware of the support that Iran has been giving to Yemen, and Iran needs to recognize that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage in overt warfare across lines, international boundaries, in other countries.

So we’re very concerned about it. And we will – what we’ve made clear to our friends and allies is we can do two things at the same time. We have an ability to understand that an Iran with a nuclear weapon is a greater threat than an Iran without one; and at the same time, we have an ability to be able to stand up to interference that is inappropriate or against international law, or contrary to the region’s stability. and interests and those of our friends.

The U.S is the one that has for decades, including through several wars, destabilized the Middle East. It is the U.S. and the U.S. "ally" Saudi Arabia Who are engaging "in overt warfare across lines, international boundaries, in other countries". They are waging a  war on Yemen that is "inappropriate" and "against international law", and "contrary to the region’s stability".

It seems like Kerry looked into a mirror, lacked the self awareness to recognize himself and accused Iran of being all he saw.

Does he expect to be taken seriously?

Posted by b on April 9, 2015 at 14:59 UTC | Permalink

Comments

that is the script for selling war on yemen... kerry and saudi arabia are on the same page.. they want a puppet to run things they want them run and the fact their puppet has left must mean it is all iran's fault.. you can't make this shit up any better.. meanwhile they want to murder or starve the people of yemen while wanting us to believe it is all irans fault.. is there any wonder why usa foriegn policy is hated around the globe with a rep like kerry? the guy is one of the more pathetic characters the usa has offered up.. i wish he and samantha powers would take a one way trip to the moon never to return.. they already act like they live their..

Posted by: james | Apr 9 2015 15:24 utc | 1

Kerry is deranged and never as talented as some have claimed over the years. He was pegged as a future great man, and except for some pitiful opposition to the Gulf War and one big mob prosecution, Kerry has no domestic achievements and a record of supporting military misadventures. He needs an external enemy of a mysterious nature to claim that he's been protectin' America or some such non sense.

Kerry is a guy who had ample opportunities to be a revered figure in American history, and his record sucks. Kerry won't recant or find Jebus at this point in his life, but Kerry will try to have a legacy of "protectin' America" ignoring the police gunning people down in the streets. I bet the disgusting Ted Kennedy monument drove Kerry up the wall because Kerry and Teddy were both awful but Kerry doesn't enjoy the JFK relationship sheen.

Posted by: NotTimothyGeithner | Apr 9 2015 15:25 utc | 2

Just take old calendars and check for each time Iran and the US "reached an historical agreement on the nuclear issue", and you will find what major catastrophe happened in the few next days. That time it happened a few days before but nothing is new in the pattern. The main allies, Israel and KSA, always manage to carpet-bomb the agreement

Posted by: Mina | Apr 9 2015 15:30 utc | 3

missing : they want a puppet to run things 'the way' they want them run...
on another note, i read this article this morning - Bringing Cultures Together in Peace How Bob Belden brought an American jazz band to an appreciative Iran.

from the article/interview "What would you like Americans, many of whom have been taught that Iran is not a U.S.-friendly nation, to know about the country and its people now that you’ve seen it first-hand?

BB: Perception is easy to create. Misperception is hard to break. In the U.S., for the most part since the Iranian Revolution, Iran has been subjected to a political and cultural analysis that is always shone in a negative light. It was as if thousands of years of history were negated to a footnote and the only history we intend to maintain in the U.S. is from 1979 onwards. This myopic view is not based on logic but composed of a systemic ignorance of global culture that is enabled by a weak education system in the U.S. and intense partisan calibrations meant to maintain a dark cloak of intrigue about Iran by people or entities that have agendas not expressed in their public statements.

Posted by: james | Apr 9 2015 15:32 utc | 4

Likely explanation for Erdogan last 180° turn
"On the one hand, Russia seems willing to give Greece funds based on future profits earned from allowing the transit of Russian gas via the proposed “Turkish Stream” pipeline taking Russian gas via Turkey to Greece and onward to countries of southern Europe."
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2015/04/09/putin-tsipras-and-a-sirtaki-tapdance/

Posted by: Mina | Apr 9 2015 15:34 utc | 5

Full blown psychosis is a requirement to work at the state department and flipping the script is the basis of all US foreign policy talking points. When will the people of the Amerika wake up and realize the monster under the bed is us?

Posted by: Nana2007 | Apr 9 2015 15:38 utc | 6

It's not Lack Of Self Awareness, it's trolling on the highest level.

Posted by: Peter Hofmann | Apr 9 2015 15:38 utc | 7

My sense is that there is some sort of linkage between the extensive U.S. support for the Saudi attack on Yemen and the sudden traction the Iraqi forces are getting in rolling back ISIS. It is as if an understanding has been reached between Washington and Riyadh that the jihadis will be abandoned in Mesopotamia in exchange for crushing the Houthi. Not only is the U.S. coordinating the Saudi air war from bases in Bahrain, Riyadh and Qatar; it is also flying refueling missions for Saudi F-15s and F-16s. Then there is the greenlighting of weapons shipments to Egypt; that is another aspect of the war on the Houthis.

Posted by: Mike Maloney | Apr 9 2015 15:56 utc | 8

"It's not Lack Of Self Awareness, it's trolling on the highest level."


Posted by: Thread Winner! | Apr 9 2015 16:00 utc | 9

Like in Libya, Syria and Iraq we find the US on the SAME SIDE as AL-CIADA IN YEMEN. A classic script for a brilliant comedy!!

In Yemen, we have about 10 countries fronting as air-force for Al-Qaeda and a deposed "president" who only came to power by winning 99% of the ballot - kid you not.

The US is in bed with AL-CIADA.. But it's OK because they're fighting for our peace-loving ally, Saudi Arabia to bring freedumb and democracy to those barbaric Yemenis.

Third time's a charm!!! This global war on terra making strange bedfellows indeed...

Posted by: Zico | Apr 9 2015 16:06 utc | 10

My take is that US support for the saudi attack on Yemen is the price the US has to pay for the upcoming US-Iranian deal. And the more the neocons rant against such a deal, the more Saudi Arabia is able to get away with, is able to extract from the US.

Posted by: Willy2 | Apr 9 2015 17:00 utc | 11

Via Counterpunch

The Special Relationship is Becoming a Harder and Harder Sell

The U.S. and Israel: Diverging Interests

… snip

Unfortunately, Israel, and by extension the American Zionist lobby, had lost interest in U.S. concerns about al-Qaeda. Indeed, Tel Aviv had come to take the opposite point of view, seeing some merit in Islamic terrorists as long as they were Sunnis. One has to keep in mind that the Israelis are obsessed with Shiite Iran and its nuclear energy program, which Prime Minister Netanyahu has hysterically proclaimed a danger to the survival of Israel. From that point of view any enemy of Iran is a friend of Israel – even if it is al-Qaeda.

Indeed, in 2013 Michael Oren, then Israeli ambassador to the United States (actually he grew up in West Orange, New Jersey), told the Jerusalem Post, “We always wanted Bashar Assad to go, we always preferred the bad guys who weren’t backed by Iran to the bad guys who were backed by Iran.” A year later he was at an Aspen Institute Conference and declared that Israel would prefer the victory of ISIS to the continuation of an Iranian-backed Assad. Nor have the Israelis been shy about acting on this preference. They have established a non-aggression pact with an al-Qaeda Syrian affiliate called the al-Nusra Front, cared for al-Nusra wounded in Israeli hospitals, and mounted attacks on the Lebanese and Iranian forces opposing al-Nusra.

So, at least in Syria, Israel is actively supporting a group that had, in an early incarnation, attacked the U.S. – one that represents forces that still pose a major worldwide risk to U.S. security. Perhaps someone ought to update Congress on this point.

This rearrangement of allies has made for strange bedfellows – not only the U.S. and Iran, but also Israel and Saudi Arabia. And that brings us to the present situation in Yemen. Until the recent Saudi air strikes in Yemen, that country was the most active site of U.S. drone attacks against al-Qaeda operatives. But the Saudis don’t see the war on al-Qaeda as any more important than the Israelis. Their main concern is, once more, Shiite Iran whom they see as much more an enemy than either jihadists or Zionists. So the Saudis have thrown a temper tantrum over the recent deal over Iran’s nuclear program. Part of their acting out was to tell Washington to pull its drone operators out of Yemen because the Saudis were going to bomb that country and particularly its Shiite Houthi population to ruination. Ruination of course, means the creation of a power vacuum in Yemen, and just as in Syria and Iraq, power vacuums create the ideal breeding ground for extremist groups like al-Qaeda. Finally, there are unconfirmed reports that at least some of the munitions the Saudis are dropping on Yemen are made in Israel.

Obviously the real “concerns and interests” of the United States in the Middle East have noticeably diverged from those of Israel. As a consequence Israel is now loudly complaining that Washington has abandoned it. Well, Washington might do well to play the same game – to loudly complain about Israel’s traitorous behavior. After all, the U.S. gives that country a lot of money and weaponry and now the Israelis chose to support their benefactor’s enemy.

We can count on the Zionist lobby to try to obfuscate this fact. And, given that their financial and ideological power helps shape self-serving political interests in Congress, they may be able to pull it off, at least in that venue. They are also financially backing the Republicans when it comes to the 2016 presidential race. Can those politicians who support the Israeli perspective win that election?

Hopefully, the Israeli point of view will now prove to be a hard sell when it comes to the American voter. The recent agreement with Iran has created a new reality for the country’s foreign policy – one that is consistent with the popular desire for no further U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. It is going to be difficult for bought-off politicians, even those allied with Fox TV, to throw everything into reverse and declare al-Qaeda an ally and Iran still the mortal enemy. Hopefully, that will translate into political failure in 2016 for anyone who wants to undo the new accord with Iran.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/08/the-u-s-and-israel-diverging-interests/

imho, Obama sees Iran as more valuable to US interests than Israel…

Posted by: crone | Apr 9 2015 17:05 utc | 12

Iranian President Rouhani on Thursday:

"To the countries in the region, I say, let's adopt the spirit of brotherhood, let's respect each other and other nations. A nation does not give in through bombing," said Rouhani. "Do not kill innocent children. Let's think about an end to the war, about cease-fire and humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Yemen."

He said the bombing campaign was "wrong," comparing it to Syria and Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition is targeting Islamic State militants.

"You will learn, not later but soon, that you are making a mistake in Yemen, too," Rouhani said, without naming any particular country.

And the Ayatollah very active today on twitter:

Despite disputes,#Saudis used to display composure w us but now inexperienced #youngsters have come to power& replaced composure w barbarism

What Saudis did in #Yemen is exactly what Israel did to #Palestine.Acting agnst Yemenis is a genocide that can be prosecuted in int’l courts

Israel’s military is bigger than Saudi’s& #Gaza is a small area,but they failed;#Yemen is a vast country w a population of tens of millions.

Yes now would be a good time for Obama to earn that peace prize.

Despite Constant Saudi Bombing, Yemen Rebels Advance, Seize Key Town; Ayatollah Trolls US, Saudis on Twitter


Posted by: Nana2007 | Apr 9 2015 17:45 utc | 13

The moral of the story here is simple: Bullies will be bullies until someone stands up to them. No one has stood up to the Saudis or really to the US. As long as sociopaths can wage war, havoc and holocausts on anyone at will with complete impunity, they will continue doing so.

What is being done to Yemen now is a holocaust and it is being done for Saudis, the US and yes Israel.

Posted by: alaric | Apr 9 2015 18:22 utc | 14

@13

' Yes now would be a good time for Obama to earn that peace prize. '

That's a joke, right? Black humor. The War Party - Republicrat/Demoblican - has learned that it makes no difference what they say. The zombified cogs in the wheel of the imperial killing machine will go along to get along. "Can't see the dead men, women and children from my house" ... is our American watchword. And has been since the Spanish American war.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 9 2015 18:26 utc | 15

@15

Teddy Roosevelt, 1906 and Elihu Root, 1912 got the Nobel Peace Prizes for the Spanish American War and butchery and occupation of the Philippines. Spreading Freedom and Democracy. The zombified cogs in the wheel of the imperial killing machine went along to get along. then, too. And "Can't see the dead men, women and children from my house" ... first became the American watchword.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 9 2015 18:57 utc | 16

I wouldn't have thought that it is worth making a big point about Kerry being hypocritical. The US is, without any question.

The issue is whether the Saudi bombing campaign, supported by the US, is having an effect, and whether a land invasion will be necessary.

Difficult to decipher how effective the air campaign is, as we don't have much reporting. A lot of bombs landed outside their target, as illustrated by a photo of a bomb which landed in a taxi-park. Even if Yemeni infrastructure has been destroyed, will that change Houthi policy? the answer is obviously no.

It is striking that the Houthis have continued to advance in Aden, and will probably take it soon, in spite of the fact that the Adenis are Sunni, and have no intrinsic sympathy with the Houthis. Hadi didn't have much support. I don't know whether the Houthis will be able to advance east into Hadramawt. It's a very Sunni area, the heartland of al-Qa'ida.

b evokes the possibility of a Saudi land invasion. Personally I can't imagine anything more disastrous than a Saudi land invasion, and I doubt whether it will happen. The Saudi army, or even the the Pakistani or Sudani or Egyptian, won't make much progress against the Yemeni hillmen. That's what happened in the 1960s, and it will happen again.

As usually with US-planned wars (US advisors guiding the targetting, and resupply), only the air war has any effect. Will it defeat the Houthis? Obviously no, only brake them. Actually soon the Saudi pilots will be tired. They're not used to constant action. Rather used to inactivity, drinking tea. I predict that the sortie rate will decline to occasional attacks.

Yemenis are tough guys, even if they spend their afternoons chewing qat.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 9 2015 19:11 utc | 17

The difference between lies and bullshit:

Recently, Harry C. Frankfurt’s little pamphlet, with its beguilingly simple title, On Bullshit (Princeton University Press, 2005) has pushed Orwell’s insights into a higher degree of conceptualization. While written in Orwellian vein and addressing the abuse and manipulation of language, Frankfurt’s analysis offers a new way of looking at the old problem. The book open with the following, by now well-known observation: “One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows it. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern, nor attracted much sustained inquiry. In consequence, we have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves.”

Without proper understanding of its functions and purposes, we are left, frankly, unarmed to confront and understand bullshit, despite our confidence to recognize it. For Frankfurt, BS is a greater enemy of truth then a lie because a liar does care about truth and thus tries to pass falsehood for truth, while BS artists do not really care about the truthfulness of their statements – they just make assertions to impress, while disguising their real agenda. There are obvious mechanisms to challenge lies: just produce facts. But how does one challenges bullshit and understands its secret agenda? There is no cognitive frame, no intellectual traps into which the bullshitter can be caught.

Kerry and all the others tell lies, but it is bullshit that debases the language to the point that words are just tools to advance an agenda rather than convey meaning. Discussion with these people is pointless because understanding is not the objective, acquiescence is. You actually grant them creditability they don't deserve by treating their words seriously rather than a means to an end.

Posted by: lg | Apr 9 2015 19:13 utc | 18

This is one of the those instances where human rights doesn't matter to that champion of human rights, the United States of Saudi Israelia. Are they just going to starve the Yemenis out?
Talk about places that need regime changes...

Posted by: farflungstar | Apr 9 2015 19:18 utc | 19

By the way, completely OT, it's about time that we supported b once again, financially, to keep the blog going. It's a great blog, I read it every day, and I think it's important that it doesn't run into difficulties. b is too modest. If he publishes the IBAN and BIC of the account, I'm ready to send. For Americans, I'm not sure what is required.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 9 2015 19:36 utc | 20

@20

I second that!

Posted by: crone | Apr 9 2015 19:47 utc | 21

Do not underestimate the dirty role of HRW (and co.)
http://radioyaran.com/2015/04/09/exposing-human-rights-watchs-hrw-pretension-of-impartiality/

Posted by: KerKaraje | Apr 9 2015 20:06 utc | 22

@18--Thanks so much for referencing Golstein's article. Now I get to add some additional interesting books to my library.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 9 2015 20:10 utc | 23

Kerry's Yemen buffoonery is probably intended to help people to forget the similarities with the Ukraine SNAFU.
Obama needed something to blame Putin for (after Russia thwarted the US missile attack on Syria) so he got Victoria Nuland to engineer the the Ukraine SNAFU and blame Putin for it - and impose sanctions.
Similarly, with the Iran P5 + 1 looming, Obama needed an "Interference In Yemen" Ace up his sleeve as an excuse to avoid (even temporary) removal of his Iran sanctions. So now new Yemen sanctions can replace the old Nuke sanctions - without a pause.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 9 2015 20:25 utc | 24

Posted by: lg | Apr 9, 2015 3:13:56 PM | 18

Splitting hairs?
Lies = bullshit = lies.
Take your Identity Politics Hasbara elsewhere please.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 9 2015 20:41 utc | 25

b asks:

Does he expect to be taken seriously

of course he expect[s] to be taken seriously, he considers himself a model of success.

waging 'war' is required by psychopathic etiquette...there are no feelings of remorse...

...and anyway, as you said above, "There is little international support for the Houthi..."

Posted by: john | Apr 9 2015 20:45 utc | 26

Clown-car GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz, one of the Tom Cotton letter signers in the Senate, had $31 million raised for him in a week's time by a shadowy network of four super-PACs. Who would lead his State Department, John Bolton? The U.S. is going to implode, whether it is Hillary in the White House or Scott Walker or Jeb or a Bozo like Cruz. They're all committed to more war. It cannot be maintained.

Posted by: Mike Maloney | Apr 9 2015 21:35 utc | 27

"Is lack of self awareness a requirement for becoming U.S. Secretary of State?"

I don't think so. But since the Secretary of State is a hit man for the gang of thieves writ large that is the US Empire, the person needs to be totally corrupt, ruthless, and evil. I am sure many of them recognize how evil they are. (but they will not admit it to you!)

Posted by: Mark Stoval | Apr 9 2015 21:49 utc | 28

You'd almost think Yemen was invading Saudi Arabia. The hypocrisy and deceit is so deeply ingrained that it scarcely warrants mention.

I was at Dewey Canyon II back in the day--the last time Kerry showed any character or courage--a long time ago.

Posted by: chuckvw | Apr 9 2015 22:37 utc | 29

Just saw a report on Deutsche Welle. Benghazi is in ruins. A great triumph for our president in waiting. But like all of the serial failures before it Libya is no longer news.

Posted by: chuckvw | Apr 9 2015 22:42 utc | 30

One might think after listening to the denouement in Yemen, that one could conclude the USA is the fabled Fourth Reich of 1000 Years, and will slaughter, maim, starve, drown, sanction and otherwise round up into labor internment camps the entire oil-bearing world's populace.

Then posting 'Does Kerry Have a Brain?', is like posting 'Is Goebbels In Possession of His Senses?' It's a journalist hook to keep i-butts firmly planted in seats, instead of out on the street ...although to be fair, the 1960's was a colossal failure for New Progressives.

The Wehrmacht's Financiers have looted $18TRILLION, and their MICPentagon is tapping SS/MC, while the self-billed Progressive Party is a just a front-group for MIC National Socialism.
There is no counter-party to oppose this Fourth Reich and their Hanging Chad Coup of 2000:

"We won, you lost. It's just business, get over it. NOW GET OFF OUR LAND!"

Posted by: NoReply | Apr 9 2015 23:55 utc | 31

Don't know what the focus of this blog is, but ISIL/Al Queda are 3 miles from Assad's presidential palace now, and nobody's talking about it?
Assad regime definitely on the ropes

Posted by: DamascusFalling | Apr 10 2015 1:48 utc | 32

@32 df... cute name.. and your sources are?

Posted by: james | Apr 10 2015 2:26 utc | 33

@33 yahoo news from yesterday palestinian refuge camp - thanks usrael..

"Damascus (AFP) - Syria said Wednesday a military operation was needed to expel jihadists who have overrun large parts of a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus, trapping thousands of civilians inside.
The Islamic State group's advances in the Yarmuk camp have sparked international concern for the civilians, who have already endured repeated bombardment and an army siege of more than 18 months."

Posted by: james | Apr 10 2015 2:42 utc | 34

james @ 33

I believe this is the source ...

"Omar Ashour, an Associate Fellow for the Chatham House think tank and a Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at the University of Exeter, said the situation in Damascus is now “critical” and could explode into a prolonged war within Yarmouk, depending upon the next steps taken by the extremist group and President Assad’s regime."

Wistful thinking by Brit paid mouth pieces. The closest Omar will get to combat is watching on YouTube.

Blood and Steel will decide fate. Not some ginned up journo-whore.

Posted by: Alberto | Apr 10 2015 2:47 utc | 35

james@33- An article appeared in the independent two days ago, and now over at Zero Hedge-ISIS Is Just Miles Away From Assad's Presidential Palace In Damascus.

Land destroyer has a piece up on the Isis takeover of Idlib in northern Syria-Syria: America's Democratic Terrorists?

As per usual for the world sovereign all options are on the table...

jfl@15- well at least at the time of Roosevelt, Root, et al there was a strong anti imperialist sentiment. It does feel nowadays like it's four am at the zombie ball marathon dance party. God help us when somebody turns on the lights.

Have you read Alfred McCoy's book on the Phillipines- Policing America’s Empire? The Phillipines was the US militaries Island of Dr Moreau- every foul deed in the US intelligence repertoire was innovated there.


Posted by: Nana2007 | Apr 10 2015 3:58 utc | 36

@36

No Mark Twains ... certainly no Andrew Carnegies! ... today. Thanks for the reference to McCoy's book. I'll be looking for it.

Speaking of a lack of self-awareness, I read the other day of the 100+ police killings in the USA in March. There was an accompanying link to Killed By Police, a website where volunteers report ... killings by police. Awareness is spreading along the dimension of domestic slaughter, at any rate. And it's great to see a self-organized attempt to count the bodies. At home, as abroad, the murderers 'don't do body counts'.

I correlated their information state-wise with population demographics, and what Glen Ford has just identified as the 50 year 'short war' here at home on Black Americans seems apparent. Even to the somnambulant zombies.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 10 2015 6:20 utc | 37

Hmm, is the great unravelling about to begin?
A very savvy speech by Sahra Wagenknecht of the left in the Bundestag.
She pulls no punches and delivers a few. Clearly knows what-is-what.
A must read, IMO.

http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/04/wagenknecht-eu-policy-has-destroyed.html

Posted by: V. Arnold | Apr 10 2015 7:08 utc | 38

The war on Houthis makes plenty of sense.

For Saudis, it represents an opportunity to whack some Shias. And engage in a dream that they will rule over Yemen. Both can be fleeting pleasures, but pleasures nontheless.

For southern Yemenis it presents an opportunity to restore the status from 20 years ago when they were a separate country and enjoy civil strife without unwanted northern referees.

For assorted mercenaries of KSA it represents an opportunity to earn money for long received bribes. In decreasing order of priority, one can help KSA by selling them weapons -- and pocketing cash and laughing all the way to the bank!, deploying heavy PR efforts, "intelligence and logistics" (elegant turn of phrase for not doing much), joining in bombardment, and at the very, very distant past -- deploying ground troops.

Is there any other reason for USA to have ANY opinion about Yemeni events besides having obligations to KSA that so munificently supports our arm industry, high-end real estate etc.? But of course! If there is a conflict between former Communists who happen to be Sunni and currently whores of KSA, and Shia with totally vague ideology, we always sided with Communists. We were always at war with Eastasia!

From that point of view, what Kerry does (and Obama instructs him to do) makes sense. Say that his speeches did not make sense, how does it hurt the Administration? The goal is to please KSA customers, and hard to see them complaining about it. If anything, they may complain that Kerry was too timid, too devoted to logiccdc

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 10 2015 8:00 utc | 39

BRILLIANT! Bhadrakumar gives a link to an article in The Guardian about the strikes on Yemen, and it
is hidden under the "football" section.
Freedom of information is NOW!
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/10/yemen-air-strikes-countries-backing-saudi-arabia

Posted by: Mina | Apr 10 2015 13:40 utc | 40

@ b: "Is lack of self awareness a requirement for becoming U.S. Secretary of State?"

Nope, but, moving forward the cause of Empire is.

Posted by: ben | Apr 10 2015 14:18 utc | 41

To appreciate, you've got to know that "al-Hayat" is published in London and read in chancelleries as the Arabic Le Monde or NYT.
Not so much for the veracity of what it reports but to know the mind of its owners.
http://angryarab.blogspot.de/2015/04/a-call-for-genocide-in-media-of-saudi.html

Posted by: Mina | Apr 10 2015 14:52 utc | 42

Kerry Slams Iran for Urging Yemen Ceasefire


Secretary of State John Kerry today angrily condemned the Iranian government for pushing for the ceasefire in the Saudi-led war against Yemen, saying the US is determined to stand with its allies in the region, and accused Iran of “destabilizing” the region with its efforts.

For anyone left in doubt, that's Kerry (and by extension all of us Americans) are definitely for the rich and powerful crushing the poor and the weak.

They dont call him the US Chief Diplomat for nuthin'. He absolutely is nuthin' when it comes to diplomacy (aka gilded lying).

Meanwhile ...

Pakistan MPs vote to stay out of Yemen crisis


“The parliament desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis,” read the resolution which was ratified unanimously on Friday after days of dispute among the lawmakers.

This is while Riyadh has made repeated calls to Islamabad to take part in the Saudi aggression in Yemen.

The resolution came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrapped up a two-day visit to neighboring Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Ansarullah fighters started on March 26, without a UN mandate, in a bid to restore power to the country’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.


Next step is for Russian and China to introduce a UNSC resolution demanding that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US and the seven Gulf Dwarves end their aggression immediately.

And let the US veto it. Or, better, let them back down and not veto it.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 10 2015 15:31 utc | 43

I read about the debate in Pakistan. The government did not want to flatly refuse the Saudis, given the big "bribes" (aid?), but NOBODY there supported sending troops, something that Saudis would need to achieve anything.

In the meantimes, commenters in Indian press were licking their chops. Even Egypt that got a huge subsidy is very reluctant. What a military dictatorship needs least is a military defeat and a proof that they are mere mercenaries. So the dictatorship allowed for some open criticism of the idea of sending troops in the regime sanctioned press.

My impression is that the whole venture is not only criminal, but kind of hopeless. Saudis with their helpers have a reliable method of creating a very bad humanitarian crisis in Yemen, but if that was a receipt for victory, then Israel would unequivocally won in Gaza. With warm American support they could have fun for two months, and afterwards they "achieved" exactly what they had without any fighting whatsoever. In the meantime, our press is presstituting, and Kerry is behaving like a cheap whore (what an insult! do you know my rates!?). In two months I expect more dissection of "common wisdom".

For example, what is "Iranian influence"? "Some say that Iran provided some financial aid to Houthis". But some say that AQAP is helped from KSA, and I am sure that it is, with only question if the help is direct or a bit indirect. And who are "government troops/government supporters"? Seems like South Yemen separatists.

And how democratic is Hadi? And how "our war with AQAP" prospers in this situation. And so on. NOTHING MAKES SENSE.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 10 2015 16:37 utc | 44

B: Is there any possibility of a post about Yarmouk? It looks like the MSM is using the ISIS invasion to hype concern about Palestinian civilians to justify some sort of "humanitarian" intervention. The news reports are all talking about starving Palestinians forced to eat grass (and few mention the armed groups which charge exorbitant rates for confiscated aid packages and smuggled goods). The ISIS invasion started at the same time the Saudis attacked Yemen.

Posted by: Rusty Pipes | Apr 11 2015 0:56 utc | 45

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/04/12/world-view-repercussions-start-for-pakistans-and-turkeys-neutrality-in-yemen/

From that link. Saudis did not condemn Pakistan and Turkey, but their sock puppet did:

However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is harshly condemning Pakistan and Turkey for their neutral stance. According to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash:

The Arabian Gulf is in a dangerous confrontation, its strategic security is on the edge, and the moment of truth distinguishes between the real ally and the ally of media and statements. …

This is nothing but another chapter of laggard impartial stand. Tehran seems to be more important to Islamabad and Ankara than the Gulf countries. Though our economic and investment assets are inevitable, political support is missing at critical moments.

The vague and contradictory stands of Pakistan and Turkey are an absolute proof that Arab security — from Libya to Yemen — is the responsibility of none but Arab countries, and the crisis is a real test for neighbouring countries.

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I have hard time figuring how Obama and Kerry chose such stupid course of action. Iran is for ceasefire, KSA is on attack and does not want to listen to any words of caution. So supporting KSA and GCC is a no-brainer? It gives some brownie points in KSA and GCC. Apart from that, UN General secretary urges ceasefire, Pakistani parliament, Turkey, Australia, and as atrocities and humanitarian crisis will pile up, pretty much everybody. And there is a problem of American citizens in Yemen, and it seems that Obama did not figure how to do it while preserving "dignity" and full blessing of KSA. He could ask Pakistan to lend its navy, as they evacuated both Pakistanis and Indians.

It seems that KSA action is quite unpopular in Muslim world, and Gulfies managed to isolate themselves. Except for USA that boldly stands with the most retrograde allies. It is like there some brain disease virus in D.C. (vector: think tanks, breeding ground of mental maladies with multiple resistance to various forms of applying reason).

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 12 2015 19:50 utc | 46

"Lack Of Self Awareness" and "John Kerry" are practically synonyms.

"You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext”

Posted by: guest77 | Apr 13 2015 0:10 utc | 47

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