According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the preeminent think tank tracking arms sales, Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest arms importer from 2015 to 2019, the first five years of the Yemen war. The Senate confirmation process for Austin gave insufficient attention to the issue. It’s long past time to stop. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Natan Sachs and Tamara Cofman Wittes Lawmakers opposed the sale due to Saudi Arabia and the UAE's involvement in the bloody conflict in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians, as well as the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials. It has also frozen the foreign terrorist organization designation for the moment. President López Obrador's extension of the term of Supreme Court chief Arturo Zaldívar is part of his strong effort to recentralize power in the Mexican presidency and hollow out the independence and power of other Mexican institutions. The US military and arms companies provide similar support for the other, US-supplied half of the Saudi Air Force. First, arms sales are signals that cut through the noise of the international system. Time works against the Yemeni people, every 10 minutes a Yemeni child under the age of five dies due to the blockade. He did not reference any specific sales or countries in his remarks, which were made at his first State Department news conference as top US diplomat. Biden Freezes U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE (Wall Street Journal) Trump administration pushes forward on $500 million weapons deal with Saudi Arabia (Washington Post) Follow me on Twitter . Saudi Arabia has spent a fortune buying arms from America to prosecute a war that has killed almost a quarter of a million people – the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe in our lifetime. It’s long past time to stop. In October 2020 Campaign Against the Arms Trade filed a judicial review application into the legality of the UK government’s decision to renew arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition. Two American administrations have enabled the war. This is a very short article that says the US doesn’t want to cancel arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a murder almost certainly committed by the Saudi government. As a candidate, Joe Biden promised to end American support for the Saudi war. By Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood, CNN. Shutting the door on Saudi arms sales will allow the United States to stop indirectly promoting conflict orchestrated by Saudi Arabia and to better improve its domestic economy. CAAT’s Andrew Smith said: “These arms sales should not have been approved in the first place. Does it mean an end to the blockade, which is the most important element in the malnourishment of Yemenis? A State Department official earlier described the pause as "a routine administrative action typical to most any transition, and demonstrates the administration's commitment to transparency and good governance, as well as ensuring US arms sales meet our strategic objectives of building stronger, interoperable, and more capable security partners.". Washington (CNN) The Biden administration has paused arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as it conducts a wider review of agreements worth … There are at least two reasons for the United States to seriously consider an arms embargo against Saudi Arabia. Bruce Riedel Related Content The Trump administration also authorised $290m worth of small munition sales to Saudi Arabia at the end of December of last year. Ending arms sales will also reassert American authority in its relationship with Saudi Arabia, an allied state that benefits from US partnership without meaningful accountability. President López Obrador has scored some points, but the already precariously weak rule of law in Mexico, and thus the Mexican people, will suffer. Its imports of major arms increased by 130% compared with the previous five-year period. The move to freeze the pending sales to the Gulf allies could signal a change in approach by the Biden administration after the Trump administration. It is a commendable step, and others should follow. Cutting off arms transfers is a common way that states express their dissatisfaction with others and try to influence behavior. A total of 73% of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports came from the U.S., and 13% from the U.K. ", Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he welcomed the pause in the sales, which he said "were inexplicably rushed without thorough review of implications for U.S. national security and protection of innocent lives in Yemen.". A decade and a half after Mexico initiated its justice system reforms, 95 percent of federal cases still go unpunished. The administration’s regional military commander, now Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, reportedly advised against supporting the Saudi campaign and predicted it would be a failure. Tuesday, December 1, 2020 Who were the proponents of backing Riyadh and Abu Dhabi? staff: 'It's a new day for America; it's a new day for the world', Biden's pick for UN ambassador vows to hold China accountable, faces GOP grilling over speech at China-backed group's event. The Houthis have moved closer to Iran as the war progressed, and Iran has significantly more clout in Sana’a today than six years ago. The war in Yemen is America’s war. Barack Obama could have stopped the war at its start in 2015 by cutting off military, diplomatic, and intelligence support for the Saudi-led coalition that imposed a blockade on Yemen and began deadly air strikes on civilian targets. They did not see any emergency that justified speeding up the transfer. The former administration also issued an emergency declaration in 2019 in order to expedite arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in circumvention of congressional concerns. The United States has supported Saudi’s efforts with “weapons sales, aerial refueling, intelligence, and targeting support,” BuzzFeed News reported. Mexico’s justice system showed itself equally meek and disappointing in inadequately investigating the alleged complicity of former Mexican Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos and dismissing the case, potentially the most significant case of corruption and criminal collusion charges against a high-ranking Mexican official in two decades. Two American administrations have enabled the war. This allows López Obrador to influence how courts will rule in cases regarding the executive branch, what cases they take up and the legality of new policies. Newly released figures show Canada sold nearly C$3bn (US$2.2bn) worth of military equipment to Saudi Arabia in 2019 – more than double the … Sales to other belligerents in the war, like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), also rose exponentially. Secretary of State Tony Blinken confirmed that pending arms sales are under review, as is typical at the start of a new administration, "to make sure that what is being considered is something that advances our strategic objectives, and advances our foreign policy.". It continues support for Saudi air defenses against missiles and drones, but does it halt support for air strikes on missile batteries? The decision comes after the release of an intelligence dossier linking the monarchy to a prominent journalist's assassination and amid the kingdom's ongoing war in Yemen. Those sales showed no signs of slowing down in 2015 as Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab countries in a military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Ending the Yemen war is both a strategic and humanitarian imperative "The President-elect has made clear that we will end our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. US has ratched up arms sales to Saudi Arabia (October 2018). Islam Times - The war in Yemen is America’s war. The attorney general’s office has proven weak, unwilling to take up key cases such as against the suspects in the brazen attack on Mexico City’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch—an event that symbolized the impunity with which Mexican criminal groups operate. This is true not just in the case of Saudi Arabia, but also in the Philippines, where the Duterte regime has killed thousands of civilians under the guise of its “war on drugs”; and in Turkey, where US-supplied arms are being used in the invasion of Syria. It would be useful to know more about the debate inside the Obama administration during the start of the war. We want to make sure that not only are American aid groups able to do what they can to provide assistance but so are aid groups around the world that are providing the bulk of that assistance and to make sure that nothing we are doing interferes with that, particularly if it doesn't in any other way advance our policy and objective. Order from Chaos Democrats in Congress immediately came out in favor of the move. The Trump administration was totally enthusiastic about the war. It is time to stop the carnage in Yemen and stop fueling the arms race in the Middle East. And I think we will work on that in very short order, once the President-elect is president," he said at the hearing a day before the inauguration. "The weapons we sold to Saudi Arabia and UAE have been used to kill schoolchildren, transferred to extremist militias, and fueled a dangerous arms race in the Middle East," tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy. A pragmatic view on Yemen’s Houthis Washington (CNN)The Biden administration has paused arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as it conducts a wider review of agreements worth billions of dollars made by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told CNN Wednesday. Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, wrote in 2018, “The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is entirely dependent on American and British support for its air fleet of F15 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, and Tornado aircraft. The Biden administration has already paused pending Trump-era arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, calling the move a “typical” re-evaluation by a new administration. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was convinced the Saudis could win and that it would be a great defeat for the Iranians, who backed the rebel Houthi Zaydi Shias. Commenting on Truss’s latest statement, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) called for all UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia to stop. The Trump administration notified Congress in … Last month, a pro-Iranian Iraqi group claimed credit for attacking Riyadh with drones, an important escalation in the sectarian violence in the region. The two are the 10th and 11th-largest buyers of Italian arms. The UK is to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite concerns they could be used against civilians in Yemen, in violation of international humanitarian law. Sales to other belligerents in the war, like the United Arab Emirates … Saudi Arabia signed billions of dollars of deals with U.S. companies in the arms industry and petroleum industry, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton, Honeywell, McDermott International, Jacobs Engineering Group, National Oilwell Varco, Nabors Industries, Weatherford International, Schlumberger and Dow Chemical. Leading UK arms dealer BAE Systems has sold Saudi Arabia £15 billion ($18.7 billion) worth of arms and services as the kingdom continues to wage a crippling war in Yemen now in its fifth year. Wednesday, November 25, 2020, A how-to guide for managing the end of the post-Cold War era. Its provision of missile and drone technology has enabled the Houthis to strike Riyadh and other Saudi targets. "I encourage the Biden Administration to carefully consider the broader regional security implications of these sales and to consult with Congress as it continues its due diligence on these and other arms sales," he said on Twitter. Scores of anti-war and human rights organizations and individuals from across the US issued a joint letter on Thursday, February 11 demanding the US government to cancel arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The UK should never have been arming and supporting the Saudi dictatorship or the wider coalition that is bombing Yemen. "This is the right move. These are the right choices and should become permanent. A US State Department spokesperson said Monday that Washington would not issue a blanket ban on selling weapons to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "We're taking a very urgent and very close look at that. and Saudi Arabia is a prudent first step towards reorienting U.S. arms transfer policy after the reckless policy of promoting weapons exports at all costs pursued by the Trump administration,” William Hartung of the Center for International Policy said in a statement. It’s Time to Stop Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Congress should work to close off the other main avenue of U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition—the sale of bombs, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, attack helicopters, and other equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two primary perpetrators of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen In January 2021, the new US administration announced that it was suspending some licences for arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, adding to the pressure on the UK Government. Today, President Biden announced an end to support for “offensive” operations by the Saudis. The war costs Saudi Arabia a fortune, it is likely that Iran will encourage the Houthis to keep fighting. Saudi Arabia has spent a fortune buying arms from America to prosecute a war that has killed almost a quarter of a million people — the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe in our lifetime. His other moves to bend the justice system to his will include a reform that lowered the salary of judges but did not improve the quality of prosecutors and his unwillingness to allow an independent selection of the attorney general, with López Obrador himself retaining the power of appointment. The official also did not highlight specific countries in their comment. Saudi-led attacks on Yemen Saudi Arabia is the UK’s biggest arms customer and one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes. The Brookings Institution Saudi-Israeli relations: The curious case of a NEOM meeting denied Italy has now taken the lead in taking concrete steps to stop the war, by cutting off all military sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The council appoints and dismisses judges, sets career advancement rules and disciplines judges. Who were the doubters? A total of 73% of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports came from the U.S., and 13% from the U.K. His administration has halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE — at least temporarily, for review — including the $35 billion deal to sell Abu Dhabi F-35 fighter jets. So that's the priority in my book," he said. In the five years before the war, U.S. arms transfers to Saudi Arabia amounted to $3 billion; between 2015 and 2020, the U.S. agreed to sell over $64.1 billion worth of weapons to Riyadh, averaging $10.7 billion per year. On Tuesday, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Blinken calling for scrutiny and overhaul of the US-Saudi relationship, and among other requests, urged him to freeze the delivery of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. Zaldívar is also the president of the powerful Federal Judiciary Council. At the end of last year, the Trump administration pushed through a number of high-dollar arms sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi tied to the Abraham Accords, which were agreements to normalize relations with Israel. Order from Chaos His latest move with the two-year extension of Zaldívar’s term is especially worrisome. Three weeks ago, the United States issued a temporary freeze on pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as part of an effort to end the civil war in Yemen. The Biden administration has issued a temporary freeze on pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as it reviews Trump … Guidance for the Brookings community and the public on our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) », Learn more from Brookings scholars about the global response to coronavirus (COVID-19) ». Gulf nations that have sales in the pipeline had expected some sort of pause for the administration to review but the practical impact isn't clear yet, a source familiar with Gulf nations' thinking said. Iran’s militia allies in Iraq may now also be launching attacks on Riyadh. Read all the Order from Chaos content ». Iran is the big winner in the war. They also demanded an impartial enquiry into the human rights violations by the parties of the Yemen war. An urgent international effort, with a new United Nations Security Council resolution, is necessary, and Biden’s appointment of a special envoy for Yemen with long experience in the region, Tim Lenderking, is a good step. We will need to see how this is transferred into concrete policy. He led an effort to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in the last week of the administration. During his confirmation hearing Blinken did not commit to halting the delivery of all offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia or the UAE, but he did say that the Biden administration would stop supporting the Saudi military campaign in Yemen. WASHINGTON – The Biden administration has reportedly temporarily frozen U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as it reviews billions of dollars in weapons transactions approved by the Trump administration. Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Ending the Yemen war is both a strategic and humanitarian imperative, Saudi-Israeli relations: The curious case of a NEOM meeting denied, Restore US-Mexico seafood trade and save the vaquita, Conservation leadership is key to pandemic prevention. He also expressed particular concern about the designation of Yemen's Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization and related sanctions, telling reporters Wednesday, "It's vitally important even in the midst of this crisis that we do everything we can to get humanitarian assistance to people of Yemen, who are in desperate need.". Monday, January 11, 2021 UK-made warplanes bombs and missiles are playing a central role in the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks on Yemen. Rome has blocked the transfer of more than 12,000 missiles to the Saudis. The time is now to reset our relationships with Gulf allies. “The Biden administration’s decision to temporarily freeze and review arms sales to the U.A.E. Zaldívar will be setting the council’s and, thus, the whole judiciary’s, agenda and priorities for two years. We’re calling on the UK government to stop the arms sales now. CNN's Michael Conte contributed to this report. In the five years before the war, U.S. arms transfers to Saudi Arabia amounted to $3 billion; between 2015 and 2020, the U.S. agreed to sell over $64.1 billion worth of weapons to Riyadh, averaging $10.7 billion per year. Despite the wide-ranging concerns in the U.S. and the United Kingdom about Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, both Washington and London continued to export arms to Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2019. These moves are taking place when the effectiveness of the judiciary in Mexico remains limited and deeply concerning. Protesters urge Canada to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid ongoing crisis in Yemen Steven Chase Senior parliamentary reporter Published January 25, 2021 Updated January 25, 2021 Blinken to State Dept.