Washington Report On Middle East Affairs – October 2018

groups. Others worry that xenophobic and

Islamophobic rhetoric by U.S. leaders le-

gitimizes the radical idea of an existential

struggle between East and West.

All of the above is likely true, and is

widely accepted by most members of the

national security apparatus. Yet the wars

continue and U.S. policy toward the Middle

East remains largely unchanged.

Some may argue that this “blowback” is

a necessary price to pay for protecting

American interests in the region—the free

flow of oil, the stability of friendly govern-

ments and the disempowerment of armed

non-state actors. Others may argue our in-

vestment in a massive domestic security

and intelligence network is a valuable

safety net that protects us in an era of anti-

Americanism. Some even dismiss the idea

of “blowback” entirely, putting aside self-re-

flection in favor of repeating the “they hate

us because we’re free” manta.

Those not buying into these uncritical

status quo narratives—especially the citi-

zens of the region forced to pay a hefty

price in order for the U.S. to accomplish its

objectives—may argue that the U.S. does-

n’t change its approach to the region be-

cause, aside from theactual dollars being

spent, it isn’t paying a significant price for

its regional policy. Its cities aren’t being

bombed, besieged or sanctioned. Its peo-

ple aren’t scarred physically and emotion-

ally from violence. America has been at

perpetual war since 2001 and yet this re-

ality has had very little impact on the daily

lives of the vast majority of the country’s

citizens. We, the citizens of the global

hegemon, live a privileged war-time exis-

tence.

To be clear, this is not to suggest that it

would be beneficial for Americans to live in

terror or that more U.S. troops should be

killed and maimed overseas. Rather, it is a

plea for a reality check. Americans must

realize that people are suffering im-

mensely in the name of our security. We

are lucky enough to live in relative peace.

We are not forced to grapple with the real-

ities of war and repression, but we must

think critically about what is being done in

our name and, in many cases, with our tax

dollars.

SELLING DEATH IN YEMEN

Since 2015, a catastrophic war has been

waged in Yemen, with American weapons

and intelligence being used to assist the

Saudi-led coalition that is using blockade

and bombardment as tools to confront the

Houthi rebels. Every few months or weeks

we hear a news story about an attack on a

large group of innocent civilians, the latest

cholera outbreak, or the staggering level of

malnutrition in the country.

Sometimes these news stories even

make the front pages, such as the Aug. 9

Saudi-led coalition bombing of a school

bus in Saada that killed 44 children. The

strike, carried out with a weapon produced

by Lockheed Martin, prompted CNN to

produce a map showing where in Yemen

American-made bombs have been

dropped, and how many people were

killed as a result. The map went semi-viral

on social media.

For many Americans it was probably a

horror to learn that weapons made by

Raytheon, General Dynamics and Lock-

heed Martin are regularly being used to kill

innocent Yemenis. These companies are

included in the stock portfolios of many

Americans. These companies employ

many Americans. These realities raise

some very uncomfortable questions. Do I

want to profit from war? Is my job worth

the lives of thousands of people?

Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) in Au-

gust blocked an amendment that would

have cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led

coalition. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are

the senator’s largest campaign contribu-

tors. The ten largest U.S. defense compa-

nies all have operations in Alabama. Did

the senator make a moral or financial de-

cision?

Sen. Chis Murphy (D-CT) introduced

the amendment after the strike in Saada.

“The United States is a key player in this

bombing campaign,” he said on the Sen-

ate floor. “The United States has person-

nel that sits in the targeting center when

decisions are made as to what sites on

the ground will be bombed. The United

States pays to put planes in the air, to re-

fuel the fighter jets flown by the Saudis

and the Emiratis, and the United States

sells the coalition the bombs that are

used.”

OCTOBER 2018 WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS 37

A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood gestures during clashes with police in Cairo on Aug.

14, 2013. Security forces backed by bulldozers moved in on two huge protest camps occupied

by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. More than 1,000 were killed as a result,

while thousands of Morsi’s supporters were arrested by the regime of former general and

current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

MOSAAB EL-SHAMY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

sprusansky_36-38.qxp_Special Report 8/30/18 1:42 PM Page 37