TEHRAN (FNA)- Political commentator Roland Hedayat says the one-family kleptocratic ruling class in Riyadh have been unnerved by the democratic movement of the Yemeni people, fearing that it would inspire discontent among the Saudi population.
Mr. Hedayat, in an exclusive interview with FNA, said that “the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is intentionally caused by the Saudi war of aggression, not an unintended side effect of war.”
Commenting on the role of American and British governments, he added that human rights and democracy do not matter for the two governments unless these terms “can be used as self serving propaganda instruments.”
Roland Hedayat is an activist and political commentator who has been closely following the war of aggression on Yemen.
FNA has conducted an interview with Roland Hedayat about the ongoing Saudi war on Yemen and possible motives behind the war imposed on the impoverished Arab country by Saudi Arabia and its western allies.
Q: What do you think of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by the Saudi war and blockade on the country?
A: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is intentionally caused by the Saudi war of aggression, not an unintended side effect of war. Since day one, the aggressors have hit food production and storage facilities, civil infrastructure, such as water pumping, sewer and water cleaning facilities, thus actively engineering starvation, diseases and epidemics. Also, schools, hospitals, health care centers, weddings, and funerals have been targeted, with the aim of bringing the population to its knees. These acts are war crimes and should cause an outcry from the International Community.
Q: What are the Saudis’ objectives in their war on Yemen? It seems that the Saudis expected an easy-to-win combat when they first stepped into the war. What do you think is the root-cause of Riyadh's continued failure in Yemen?
A: There are several reasons for the Saudi/UAE (and also US/UK) war of aggression on Yemen. The last two are added to the list, because they are directly involved in the warfare as well as selling arms, providing diplomatic cover, and spreading war propaganda to the media.
Saudi Arabia has a long tradition of meddling in the internal affairs of Yemen, having intervened in several internal strides in that country, with the aim of keeping or increasing its control over it. Saudi Arabia shares about 1800 km of border with Yemen, and sees it as unacceptable that Yemen not be solidly under its control. The savageness of the present war shows to what extent they are serious about this, practicing an old colonial devise: What you can't control -- you must destroy.
The compulsory Saudi need for control can be explained by the fact that the country is run by, and to a large extent owned by one family, the house of Saud, constituting a "one family kleptocracy". Such a system is inherently unstable. The popular movement and democratic aspirations of the Yemeni people has unnerved the Saudis, hell-bent on never accepting democratization in Yemen which could potentially inspire discontent among the Saudi population.
Yemen has also got an important geo-strategical location as well as vast unexploited oil and other natural resources that the aggressors want to control.
Q: Why do the US and the UK continue to supply Saudi Arabia with arms despite international criticism with regard to civilian casualties?
A: The US and UK are killing two (if not even three) birds with one stone: The massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE is a lucrative business. They also serve the purpose of keeping the pressure on Iran for free (the vassals pay), a most welcome side effect. Also, they further increase the vassal's dependence on the US and UK, solidifying that relationship.
Regarding US/UK indifference to international criticism, the answer is simply that they do not care as long as it is controllable. "Human rights" and "democracy" have never been an issue for these countries when it comes to geopolitics, unless the terms can be used as self serving propaganda instruments.
Q: Why have the international organizations, particularly the UN, remained passive in the face of the ongoing Saudi atrocities?
A: With regard to Yemen, the UN has been part of the problem and not part of the solution. The UNSC resolution #2216 on Yemen is an example of an international system which is all but broken, if aimed at protecting and preserving peace.
When the resolution was adopted on April 15Th 2015, the bombing campaign against the civilian population of Yemen had lasted for three weeks without UN authorization, in breach of International law. The resolution text, however, did not even mention that attack, and almost nothing was said about it during the council meeting.
The resolution disregards the UN Charter itself by ignoring Yemen's sovereign rights, according to Article 2 (1): "The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members."
The remaining paragraphs in Article 2 underscore the fundamental principles of equality, sovereignty and their implications.
The draft resolution was presented to the UNSC by Jordan, member of the coalition of aggression, hence fundamentally biased, turning the concepts of aggressor and victim upside down. The adopted UNSC Resolution #2216 effectively served as a green light for the Saudi-led aggressor coalition to proceed with the onslaught on Yemen, while at the same time imposing an arms embargo on the "Houthis" which has been used as a pretext for taking the civilian population as hostage: It has been enforced by a naval blockade which drastically hampers the vital supply of food and humanitarian aid. The UNSC Resolution #2216 has thus served as, and continues to serve as, a catalyst of the catastrophically deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Q: The airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition have mostly killed Yemeni civilians, including thousands of women and children. What do you see as the reason for the airstrikes targeting civilians?
A: Civilians are deliberately targeted. To avoid an outcry from the world opinion, the number of victims is downplayed. The constant number of about '10000' civilians has been circulating for some years. Does that mean that the killing has stopped? Of course not. Furthermore, by some twisted logic, only those killed by bombs are counted as victims of war, not counting those dead from imposed starvation and cholera epidemics. Taking all these into account the Yemeni catastrophe ranges in the hundreds of thousands of victims.
The world opinion and civilized nations must demand an immediate stop to this carnage and destruction, and in particular demand an immediate stop to the military assault on the port city of Hodeidah, the only life line for the starving population of Yemen.
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