Why Bombs Made in America Have Been Killing Civilians in Yemen- NYT

The war in Yemen has dragged the country in an immensurable poverty. 100,000 people have died due to the reckless campaign by Saudi Arabia. Yet there are no signs stopping the war. Weapons are incessantly supplied to Saudi Arabia by American companies, approved by American officials.

The NYT report highlights, “Mr. Trump’s embrace of arms has helped prolong a conflict in the Arab world’s poorest nation, further destabilising an already volatile region.”

Trump considers foreign policy in the way he viewed the real estate business. He has unflinchingly asserted in the public that he will continue to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia as it would fetch tonnes of money.

In this light, Raytheon Company, a major supplier of weapons to the Saudis, including some implicated by human rights groups in the death of Yemeni civilian, has made fortunes. It has earned $3 billion in bomb sales to Saudi Arabia.

“Records show that foreign military sales, facilitated by the U.S. government, rose sharply after Mr. Trump became president. They averaged about $51 billion a year during Mr. Trump’s first three years, compared with $36 billion a year during the final term of Mr. Obama”, said the report.

Raytheon has bolstered its position through sales of its best-known system, the Patriot missile. Its ties with Saudi Arabia go back to 1960s, when the company became one of the first American companies to hold a sway in the kingdom. Raytheon bombs were responsible for the death of 140 people at a funeral hall in Sana, the Yemeni capital in 2016. Many of the deceased were children. Similarly in a number of attacks on Yemen, bombs shard bearing the identification number of Raytheon was found by human rights group.

The company has made its way into the high echelons of the White House. Peter Navarro, Defense Production Act policy coordinator is one of the people in the White House who have lobbied for Raytheon to facilitate sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. This shows that the war in Yemen is an offshoot of political influence of the military-industrial complex over American establishment.

Link to the original article-

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/arms-deals-raytheon-yemen.html