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Hopeless: Washington 'Frustrated with Saudi-Led Operation in Yemen'

© AFP 2023 / Saul LOEBUS President Barack Obama (R) and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during meetings in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on June 29, 2010
US President Barack Obama (R) and  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during meetings in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on June 29, 2010 - Sputnik International
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Washington has suspended the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. That’s according to Foreign Policy magazine citing unnamed US officials. Radio Sputnik discussed the reported decision with political analyst and the editor of Politics First magazine, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos.

“Why does it appear that the American government could stop supplying cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia? There are three reasons according to me. The number one reason is that in this day and age we have social media; we have alternative media outlets, for example, Sputnik.”

The exposure on Saudi Arabia is massive. People across the world are starting to learn about the heinous nature of Saudi Arabia both at home and abroad. “I am talking about Saudi Arabia’s official ideology, Wahhabism and how Saudi Arabia exports religious extremism and terrorism in the world.”

The move comes amid growing concerns that the kingdom has used the internationally prohibited cluster munitions in its bombing campaign in Yemen.

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The suspension applies to CBU-105 cluster bombs manufactured by the US-based firm Textron Systems.

According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Saudi-led forces have dropped CBU-105 munitions in numerous locations around Yemen, including al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran, and the al-Hayma port.

“Cluster bombs contain bomblets that scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years later,” according to magazine Foreign Policy.

Talking about what this suspension would mean for America, the analyst said that it would be strictly embarrassing for America because it has a very strong relationship with the Saudis.

“That relationship is coming under exposure and that doesn’t look good for the American domestic organs. At the same time the US is very concerned about the conflict in Yemen because any conflict in the Middle East has the potential to set the whole continent into a massive blaze of fire,” the analyst said.

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He said that according to him the US is trying to stem the conflict in Yemen because the longer Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuse continue the more damage it does to America’s relationship with Riyadh from a PR perspective.

Talking about whether he thinks that this ban on cluster bombs will change the situation, Papadopoulos said, “If cluster bombs are no longer used by the Saudis it is a positive thing but then of course that’s not the only weapon in the Saudi arsenal. They use all sorts of weapons in Yemen that result in civilian’s injury and fatalities.”

The Obama administration has issued several statements of ‘concern’ about the violence in Yemen, but has yet to formally pronounce any reduction in military or tactical support for the coalition.

“The US underestimates many areas that they get involved in. They underestimated Kosovo in 1991 when they got involved in that. Now Kosovo is a black spot in Europe for organized crime, sex and gun trafficking.”

“They underestimated Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and they underestimated the resolve of the Houthis and ordinary civilians to stand up to Saudi aggression. There have been so many incidents in the last 20 years or so where because of the reckless policies of Washington, ordinary people have suffered,” Popadopoulos concluded.

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