Riyadh, Washington Taking Advantage of ‘Global Turbulence’ to Oppress Yemenis: Russian Author

“In the ongoing global turbulence, Saudi Arabia and the US are interested in oppressing the will of the Yemeni people and they are trying to show this attitude as logical under the umbrella of controlled global media,” Leonid Savin told the Tasnim News Agency.

Savin is the head of the Administration of the International Social Movement “Eurasian Movement”. He is also the editor-in-chief of “Geopolitika” magazine as well as Geopolitica.ru. Furthermore, Savin, the author of several books on geopolitics, is the director of the social-political research programs in Russia’s Institute of Economics and Legislation.

Following is the full text of the interview: 

Tasnim: The Saudi-led coalition has been launching deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement for two years in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. Some 11,000 Yemenis, including thousands of women and children, have lost their lives in the deadly military campaign. Why has the international community remained passive in the face of the ongoing Saudi crimes?

Savin: The "International community" is still a kind of neo-liberal agenda led by Washington. No matters how many people are dead if these victims were results of the US and its allies’ acts. How many people were killed in Eastern Ukraine horned by a civil war after coup d'etat in 2014 backed by Washington and Victoria Nuland? Yemen is just another point located in a region that is very important for interests of the US. You need to also pay attention that part of Yemen was illegally occupied by Saudi Arabia many years ago and people of Yemen do not recognize political borders. In the ongoing global turbulence, Saudi Arabia and the US are interested in oppressing the will of the Yemeni people and they are trying to show this attitude as logical under the umbrella of controlled global media.

Tasnim: Certain western countries are continuously claiming that they are champions of human rights. However, it seems that they are pursuing double standard policies on Saudi Arabia's atrocities. On March 10, 2017, the administration of US President Donald Trump approved the resumption of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia which critics have linked to Riyadh’s killing of civilians in Yemen. The $1.15 billion deal was previously blocked by former President Barack Obama after Saudi warplanes targeted a funeral hall in Yemen killing scores of civilians, provoking international outcry. How do you see the role of the US in the regime’s aggression against the impoverished Arab country?

Savin: In general, the problem is that rules of world politics are Eurocentric and western-centric. Laws do not work if there is dissonance with western teleology. This issue also is valid for Afghanistan, Pakistan and many other places where Euro-Atlantic community keeps its own interests and supports puppet elites.

Tasnim: Since the start of its war on Yemen, the Saudi regime has failed to reach its objectives. In 2015, the kingdom had a record budget deficit of almost $100 billion, prompting it to rein in public spending in a bid to save money. Why is the regime continuing its heinous attacks on the Arab country despite its failures and cash-strapped economy?

Savin: There are different opinions about this policy. We have information that there are two factions in Saudi Arabia. One is responsible for Syrian theater and there is no luck for western interests because of Russian presence and allies of Syria such as Iran and the other group is responsible for Yemen conflict. And both fractions want to keep good face not only for the foreign audience but mostly oppose each other. To finish the war, an interference of a strong political subject is needed. My personal opinion is that Moscow must go ahead and help this happen via peacemaking efforts through the lens of international legitimacy.