The Trump administration’s dramatic and bombastic foreign policy initiatives have gained considerable attention, whether with respect to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the proposed US takeover of Gaza, Canada, Panama, and Greenland, let alone the tariffs “war.” Many of these initiatives have, to date, turned out to be vainglorious and are in the process of being challenged by reality.
By contrast, Trump’s interventions in Yemen are serious, and they have a daily impact on millions, even after the suspension of the bombing spree known as Operation Rough Rider. With the exception of particularly murderous strikes, the main attention they have received from the media came through the farcical “Signalgate” scandal.
Although Trump has now called off the strikes, without delivering on his promise to destroy the Huthis who rule over most of the country’s population, US policy is still exacerbating one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.
“Signalgate,” of course, refers to a Signal group of senior US officials discussing the details of planned air strikes on Yemen before they started on March 15. Thanks to national security advisor Mike Waltz, the editor of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in the chat, and the scandal thus became public. Indeed, it already has a Wikipedia entry!
The air strikes under discussion are one of three elements of the Trump strategy in Yemen, the other two being the redesignation of the Huthi movement — officially named Ansar Allah — as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), and the immediate…
Auteur: Helen Lackner
