Do you even know where Yemen is? It’s south of Saudi Arabia, across the gulf from Somalia. Yemen is well situated to take advantage of oil resources and shipping routes, although it’s also in pirate territory.
copyright: cia.gov
Do you really know what type of government they have? The history of Yemen follows a communist path, beginning with Southern Yemen’s independence and its approval of a Communist party in 1970. Although today the union of the formerly Southern Yemen and Northern Yemen is called a republic, with so-called free elections, and with a mix of Islamic law and English common law, Yemen is in reality mainly socialist, as evidenced by the major political parties in power. The people have therefore been subject to the whim of central planning, which has mismanaged the oil and natural gas resources of Yemen. As well, farmers face problems not only with aridity but also with corrupt government. Hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees come to Yemen, adding to this burden. This explains much in terms of its relative poverty (45% under that heading) and unemployment (35%), which in turn has fueled many popular uprisings in Yemen.
Why is America (as of August 2011) bombing Yemen? On October 12 2000, the USS Cole, while stationed in the Yemeni harbor of Aden, was attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists. The first American military response seems to have come in 2002, when George W. Bush authorized missile launches and covert activity against Yemeni Al-Qaeda. In 2009, Barack Obama (the Nobel Peace Prize recipient) took this secret war public, seemingly unafraid of backlash. The official Obama position is that US enemies in Yemen, terrorists, are being targeted. Unofficially, it appears that the socialist regime is being propped up, which melds with the fact that regionally the Muslim Brotherhood (also socialist) is by Obama being unofficially backed in Egypt and armed in Libya.
What is Yemen’s underlying problem? Historically, we can go as far back as we like. Presently, however, there are several major issues: (1) Al-Qaeda uses Yemen as a tactical base of operations for flow and retreat, (2) Al-Qaeda’s stated monarchic goal of shari’a law is counter to the socialist/communist elements in power, (3) poor socialist economics has made appealing even harsh Islamic rule, (4) the American presence has done nothing to remove despotism or ease suffering in Yemen. These are the ingredients for revolt and terrorism in Yemen (and other countries).
Is America to blame? The United States is not the cause of Yemeni hardship and hunger, even though to many it appears that Western civilization is a gobbler of resources while giving the finger to everyone else. This is not only factually incorrect (Russia and China have for decades been hardest at work securing the world’s resources) but has nothing to do with Yemen. America’s indictment in such places is actually due to propaganda that makes Western civilization (capitalism) the enemy of poor people. This is a communist tactic which has also been taken up by Islamic fascists. Adding fuel to the fire are Western radicals, typically Americans with an anti-West philosophy, who readily blame the United States for many atrocities committed by others. Whether or not they have good intentions, such demonstrators only help the communists and strengthen terrorism around the world. In the struggle for good over evil, ignorance is no excuse.
Many argue that anti-Americanism and anti-capitalism would not have such a foothold if the United States military and CIA had not intervened in everyone else’s business. Stipulating such interference, however, does not mean that those who accepted a message of hate were not so predisposed. We cannot blame America or Western civilization for the savagery of certain peoples or cultures. No one forced them to become terrorists; they chose that path. It is not unfair to say that communists and Islamic fascists understand these things and manipulate such behavior. This leads to only one conclusion, that terrorism is a tool towards world domination. The subtlety by which this gets turned around is one of the great methods by which more Americans get sucked into believing the anti-American propaganda. That is, “if only the United States were less heavy-handed or imperialistic the world would be a safer and more serene place.” Such a statement neglects (purposely) the superpowers of China, Russia, OPEC, the IMF, and certain corporations, all of whom influence greatly the policies of nations such as Yemen. Merely stating that America is imperialistic does not place the responsibility of morality at the feet of the United States any more than saying that global evangelistic Christianity sharpens the point of the Islamic sword.
If the aim of the United States government is worldwide domination, why? Obviously, in the historical template of British Empire, Mongol empire, or Egyptian empire, the answer is easy. In the current context (1945-on), it is literally a race for resources. After World War 2, the USSR was the sworn enemy of capitalism and America. Lest we forget, the spread of communism throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s was met with force not flowers. Finally, it was through the buildup of arms that the Soviets were made bankrupt, proving that resources matter. At about the same time the USSR was crumbling, Islamic power was on the rise. With resources (oil) well-established, various anti-“Zionist” and anti-Western factions began to win hearts and minds through the same communist methods of propaganda, semi-enslavement, and semi-empowerment. By 1979, when Iranian militants took their hostages, the transition was nearly complete. Strong American intervention in the 1980’s and 1990’s helped maintain some semblance of control but by the time a weaker President named Clinton took power the terrorists were ready to literally explode onto the scene. Thus, Nairobi, Yemen and the World Trade Center. The issue of world domination is therefore a dull ruse of an argument, as if the big bad United States were, without any competition, subjecting the nations to rape and pillage. Whether or not America is engaged in a moral conflict, the truth is that every second spent hesitating due to anti-American backlash costs this country a step against the imperialistic flags of Islamic fascism and burgeoning communism. Make no mistake - these tyrants are not concerned over the morality, only the resources. The only true argument is whether your worldwide domination goal is better than mine, and that comes down to which side shall be considered “good” and which “bad,” not whether the conflict itself is right or wrong. There is a choice, and the contestants cannot coexist. Communism will not accept capitalism. Shari’a law will not be peaceful with Western culture. Only one can win.
What is Yemen’s value? Yemen’s role is a common one. As a nation, it is resource-rich but poor in governmental morality and integrity. Opportunity is not prevalent and the natural rights of persons are not well-protected. Only those from the poorest nations, like Somalia and Ethiopia, make their way to Yemen. Otherwise, Yemenis try to live elsewhere, sometimes illegally immigrating into the comparatively better Saudi Arabia. As part of the overall chess match, Yemen is a pawn. The level of interest in Yemen from caliphate devotees, anti-American terrorists, and socialists of all stripes is in this regard quite high. America’s involvement in Yemen, though once perhaps praiseworthy, is now entirely of power.
Can Yemen be won? Personally, I see Yemen as a lost cause. Whereas Libya is a ripe fruit (Qaddaffi a friend to no one, violence the rule, the country closer in proximity to Europe than the Middle East), Yemen is poison. It has just the right mix of poverty and hostility to make it dangerous, yet just enough stability to be used as bait. That terrorists reside and train there does not necessarily mean it should attract American attention. One might argue that US presence is more towards securing Saudi Arabian interests. Naturally, China and Russia, as well as Islamic militants, are enemies of current free trade lattice, but how long can American keep up this game of Risk when it exports all its economic strength to China and all its petrodollars to the Middle East (actually, financing its enemies)?
Is there a better strategy? I submit that American oil interests in the Middle East are without merit. The United States has its own deposits, in various forms, which might easily be extricated. Furthermore, the dangerous nations of Mexico and Venezuela ought to be tamed, and the people there set free by an updated version of the Monroe Doctrine. As incentive to these Mexicans and Venezuelans, the United States may pledge to uphold their rights and freedom as much as or more than any Libyan population, and with greater motivation. Why should Mexico, our neighbor, be possessed by drug lords? Why should Venezuela be permitted to nationalize private enterprise or to sell base territory to any economic or military enemy of the United States? If imperialism is necessary, Yemen is a terrible prospect, but Central and South America, and the Caribbean, are excellent acquisitions. We have only to offer our protective services and to provide citizenship in order to gain strategic positioning, wider resources, and hemispheric dominance. Interventionism in the Middle East is impractical. The United States requires bases in England, Germany, Turkey, and now Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention aircraft carriers and many thousands of troops) just to keep pace with the entrenched Asian competitors. For hemispheric imperialism, it’s a hop and a skip. Why bother with locked Asian and Middle Eastern nations, which have nothing in common with Western civilization anyway, when Latin America is easily accessible and desirous of help?
In fact, it appears that the United States has abandoned its neighbors. In nearby waters, Russian and Chinese ships come and go as they please, dictators terrorize and oppress their people, slaughter continues even at the American border. A case can be made that to ignore Latin America in this way is suicide for the United States. A case can be made that Yemen is a distraction, even an intentional one. While politicians fuss over oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, more petroleum than one could ever drill is being purchased by the crafty Chinese. A case can be made that America is engaging with Arabic terrorists in order to evade the more venomous Asian competitor. It is time that such plums as Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, and Nicaragua were provided civil liberty and American citizenship in exchange for sovereignty. This is not a difficult idea. Not only does the United States now control various territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam, but it was not so long ago that Hawaii, Alaska, even Arizona, were just territories and not states. What difference if the US expands from Texas to Panama and beyond? It’s not even a choice anymore, it’s simply survival. Perhaps imperialism is not so righteous, but today’s reality is a war for world domination. The only question is, do you want to dominate or be dominated?
None of this implies that America should enslave anyone. The desires of people to be free can be instigated without oppression. The United States itself needs to be free from its own Department of Homeland Security snooping, TSA groping, DEA break-ins, progressive taxation, liberal-minded education and political correctness, and other ills. With an aggressive campaign of liberty, the Western Hemisphere can be rid of its dictators, drug lords and world order conspiracies. Forget the “North American Union” – there needs to be a Western Hemisphere Union, extending from Alaska to Chile. The time is right to announce that marijuana must be legalized in order to emasculate the drug cartels, that the Monroe Doctrine should be invoked to keep Hugo Chavez from selling any hemispheric rights to China, and so on. Naturally, such imperialistic tendencies must be legislated by constitutional means, but it needs to be done now rather than later.
By example, the Western Hemisphere can become a beacon of hope for every nation and region. This is the best way to help Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Tunisia, and any other nation which desires to be free. A capable offense must be economically sound, and a good defense must be inward-looking to civil liberty.
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