No Money for Yemen

EIN News says, "Dozens Killed in Gun Battles As Yemen Lurches Closer to Civil War Dozens of Yemenis were killed in overnight gun battles in the capital, a government official said on Thursday, as fighting aimed at toppling President Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to ignite civil war. (theglobeandmail.com)".

Yemen is at the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It has strategic importance in that it can control all shipping passing out of the Persian Gulf, through the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and into the Mediterranean. This is the oil route to Europe and the US.

Traditionally, we have recognized the strategic importance of Yemen, but Yemen is no friend of the US. It spawns many terrorists, and pirates have been operating on a small scale in the Gulf of Aden.

Present military disruptions or Civil War would not be contrary or beneficial to US interests. Yemen has no significant military or naval capability. It would be convenient if we could retain some naval bases in Yemen to patrol the oil route and assure continued oil availability to the US. However, this is not an absolute necessity. Other potential bases are available in the area.

Let us not also fall into another trap of thinking that if we support rebels with money and military aid, we will achieve greater respect and support from a new government. This is pie-in-the-sky thinking, unjustified based on track record, and we can't afford to borrow more money for such operation. I just heard this morning that the G-8 will supply Egypt with $30 billion, most of which will come from the US through loans from China. If China ever decides to foreclose and obtain collateral, we will be facing another military conflict based on economic problems.