Summary: The Senate will hold a vote on Thursday in order to determine whether or not the United States will continue its military intervention in Saudi Arabia to fight a war against Yemen. There has been much tension in this vote due to the death of a Saudi journalist. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have advocated for the United States to continue supporting Saudi Arabia with military advising, logistics support, and intelligence. The main reason for opposition against Saudi Arabia's cause is because their campaign against Houthi rebels has killed thousands of civilians and brought famine to Yemen. Trump has argued that it is important not to overreact to every foreign situation otherwise the United States would have no allies. A few top administrative officials fear that the investigation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will damage the United State's relationship with Saudi Arabia. However, according to Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, "There needs to be action...We need to hold everyone accountable." Therefore Steve Scalise believes that the Saudis should be punished.
Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, leaving a closed briefing with members of the House on Thursday.
This connects to world history to events such as the United States involvement in Afghanistan after 9/11 because the U.S. is still intervening in foreign countries today. Similar to the past, the decision is not unanimous as there has been heated conflict in the desire to withdraw from Saudi Arabia or at least limit the military.
Questions:
1. Should the United States cut off its military support for Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen?
2. If the United States does not support Saudi Arabia against Yemen then will this permanently damage the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia?
3. Is Trump correct in saying that we should be more lenient in foreign affairs in order to keep our allies?
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/us/politics/yemen-saudi-war-pompeo-mattis.html
I believe the United States should cut off its military support for Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen. The United States should already be very hesitant in forming or continuing ties with Saudi Arabia due to the controversy over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in past weeks. The lies that have been told by Saudi Arabia regarding his death should already be a sign that Saudi Arabia is a dangerous country to support. Of course, a major reason for the consideration of continuing to support Saudi Arabia is their wealth and huge significance. However, despite this being a large reason for presidents to agree to maintain strategic alliances with the country, the death of journalist Khashoggi is not the only negative action done by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been known to have given the 9/11 terrorists their passports to America. 9/11 having been such a painful part of American history that has already led to much government and legal action. Moreover, the event has led many to unfairly discrimination against Muslim Americans. Therefore, in general, Saudi Arabia has caused both external and internal conflict in the United States. When it comes to Yemen, Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war is said to be a way from them to gain control of the surrounding regions. Therefore, by continuing to support Saudi Arabia, the United States only increases the chance of potential conflict. The wars and bombings in Yemen are an atrocities affecting tens of millions of people; something that America should not be apart of. Then again, this does have a relatively high chance of damaging the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia. As mentioned before, the United States has always acted strategically in their ties with Saudi Arabia. However, I question whether the benefits of having good relations with Saudi Arabia outweigh the negative impact it has on the reputation and internal conflict of America. In supporting Saudi Arabia, America indirectly supports the atrocities and values of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, although I understand where Trump is coming from, when it comes to foreign affairs with Saudi Arabia, it is not worth it to be more lenient.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your third question, I believe that President Trump is incorrect in saying that we should turn a blind eye when it comes to our allies. The killing, silencing, and other abuses of journalists should never be condoned, nor should the disregard for human life (specifically the lives of Amal Hussain and other emaciated children) be excused, even if that would maintain a positive relationship between two countries. That the Republican-held Senate was able to look past partisan politics and do the right thing gives me hope that maybe the trend of increasing polarization will change. However, I also think that it is strange to laud legislators for doing the humane thing when that should be what is normally expected of them.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Saudi Arabia is an important American ally, I believe they have a crossed a certain line with the seemingly unjustified killing of Jamal Khashoggi. And by not punishing Saudi Arabia and, even worse, continuing to offer support without any consequences, Trump is showing that he has little concern over ethical and moral values, and instead places politics and economics as more important. It is a bit ironic that Trump is saying that people should not overreact when in reality, he is the one who is under-reacting in this situation. I believe there needs to be some consequence for the Saudis for the heinous crime committed.
ReplyDeleteI don't think involving ourselves in foreign problems is a bad thing. It is better to help each other out and unify as allies. That said, the damage the war has brought to both countries, even us has been hard. After all has been done in that war, we should pull out. Even as a powerful country, we should not decide how two other countries work out their differences.
ReplyDeleteAs previously stated, allies are always important no matter what. However with the recent killings such as of Jamal Khashoggi and others, is has been seen how dangerous Saudi Arabia is. I agree with Daniel, that by not taking any action to Saudi Arabia from this event that Trump is definitely under reacting by not really acknowledging the situation of these past events. I believe the best move to take as out now is to pull out our military support as Saudi Arabia has become too dangerous to continue to support.
ReplyDeleteI think the United States should cut off its military support for Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen. The United States is already involved in conflicts all over the globe, diverting its resources and increasing military spending. Many of these conflicts have already caused disastrous effects that may linger for decades to come. Furthermore, I don't think the United States should militarily support Saudi Arabia when civilian casualties continue to mount. The famine in Yemen adds onto this destruction. I think the conflict is best left to the two countries to settle, rather than having the United States intervene in hopes to influence the outcome to one side or another.
ReplyDelete