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Saudi Arabia

Issue Details

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SEVER TIES WITH THE SAUDI REGIME

Click here to join us in the call!

It’s time to sever ties with a regime that uses a bone saw to hack up the body of a journalist and dissolve the pieces in a vat of acid. According to the CIA, Saudi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), was responsible for the grotesque murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

It’s time to sever ties with a regime that drops bombs on Yemeni school children, on Yemeni hospitals, marketplaces, residences—even on weddings and funerals. Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen is so brutal that Yemen is now suffering the worst humanitarian crisis on earth. Since 2015 some 85,000 children under the age of five have died from acute malnutrition as a result of the war; that’s one child every 10 minutes. 

It’s time to sever ties with the world’s most misogynist, gender-segregated nation. All Saudi women live under the kingdom’s oppressive male guardianship system, under which women need permission from a male to travel, study, obtain a passport, marry, and engage in other key life events. Women are separated from men in schools, restaurants and public buildings.

It’s time to sever ties with a regime that tortures women activists. Although Saudi Arabia recently granted women the right to drive (it was the only country in the world with this prohibition), the kingdom arrested a number of the very women who led the campaign for the right to drive. These brave women are now languishing in prison, subjected to horrific beatings, electroshock and sexual harassment. 

It’s time to sever ties with a regime that chops off people’s heads in public executions for offenses ranging from atheism to homosexuality to sorcery. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. It also uses long prison terms and physical punishment against everyone from bloggers to lawyers who dare question the regime’s absolute power. 

War. Misogyny. Beheadings. Repression of peaceful dissent. The list goes on. We say: Enough is enough. 

It’s time to boycott and divest from the Saudi regime. 

  • Musicians should not perform there. 
  • Companies should reject any business with the country. 
  • Institutions, such as universities and think tanks, should sever all ties. 
  • Politicians should not take money or direction from the Saudi lobby. 
  • PR firms should drop Saudi Arabia as a client. 

In October 2018, along with a broad coalition, we helped convince dozens of companies and notables, from the New York Times to Uber CEO to the head of the World Bank, to pull out of the Saudi Future Investment Initiative. We then focused on the PR firms. Three of them—BRG Group, Glover Park Group and the Harbour Group—agreed to sever ties with the kingdom. In November 2018 we launched a petition and protests asking Vice Media not to produce promotional/propaganda videos for Saudi--that campaign is ongoing. 

Now we are focusing on performers. We appealed to The Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Dutch DJ Tiesto, Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi and Jamaican rapper Sean Paul to cancel their performances. They refused to listen. So we are expanding our campaign, building a strong coalition of groups and celebrities.

Click here to join us in the call!

NO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAUDI ARABIA UNTIL THEY END THEIR WAR ON YEMEN AND REPRESSION OF WOMEN, JOURNALISTS, AND PEOPLE WHO ENGAGE IN PEACEFUL DISSIDENT. 

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Advice for VICE: Doing business with the murderous Saudi regime isn’t edgy!

In light of the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the ongoing war in Yemen, many prominent companies have announced they will be cutting ties with Saudi Arabia. Add your name to our petition demanding that VICE ends their contract with the Saudi Research and Marketing Group now!

The U.S. has spent over $8 trillion on military forces in the Persian Gulf in the last four decades, supposedly protecting the Gulf from the then-Soviet Union and Iran. The effect has been to give backing to an absolute monarchy that opposes religious freedom, female equality and humane treatment of migrant workers–– the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The hereditary despots of Saudi Arabia are infamous for beheading and/or and floggings political dissidents. In January 2016 alone, the Saudi government beheaded 47 people, some of whom were guilty of such “crimes” as political activism. Between March 2015-2016, Saudi Arabia massacred over 6,000 people in a war of aggression against Yemen, and at least half of them were civilians. It’s time for the US to reevaluate the toxic relationship with Saudi Arabia!

Educate yourself and your community! Order CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin’s latest book, Kingdom of the Unjust, Behind the US-Saudi Connection, and invite her to your community to talk about this important issue! Email brienne@codepink.org to book her now.

Below are more resources and ways you can get involved, and you can email brienne@codepink.org if you have questions, comments, or ideas!

Yemen

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led an international coalition (backed by the United States) to launch air strikes against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, sparking a full-blown armed conflict.

The increase in violence exacerbated the existing issues that have blighted Yemen for years: poor governance, lack of rule of law, widespread poverty, and insufficient access to basic healthcare and water, among others.

Four out of five Yemenis today rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival. There is no access to essential services such as clean water and electricity, and food prices have soared creating a desperate situation for millions. Yet Saudi Arabia continues its brutal campaign against the poorest country in the Middle East.

CODEPINK calls for an end to the Saudi-led airstrike against Yemen!

  1. Tell your senators to stop ALL weapons sales to the Saudi regime

  2. Sign the petition: Stop the violence in Yemen

  3. Watch & share videos from Yemen! CODEPINK has launched a series of videos called Voices from Yemen. Share our videos on your Facebook page to help lift up the voices of Yemenis!

  4. #RememberYemen! Download this sign that says #RememberYemen in English and Arabic, take a photo or video of yourself with it, and post it on your social media accounts and tag CODEPINK! 

  5. Watch Video: Medea Benjamin crashes the US-Saudi investment forum

Confronting UBER!

Join us in telling UBER to not partner with Saudi Arabia in oppressing Saudi Women! Sign our petition here: http://www.codepink.org/uber

2016 Summit on Saudi Arabia: Understanding the Kingdom and its Global Role:

More Actions!

More Info

Proliferation of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

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More than $21 billion in defense sales to Saudi Arabia include battleships, Blackhawk helicopters, machine guns and more than 1 million rounds of advanced ammunition.

1001 Letters to Congress

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Following his peaceful participation in protests during the Arab Spring, Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr was arrested on February 14, 2012, at age 16. On May 27, 2014, he was sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion.

Dawood Hussain Al Marhoon was first arrested on May 2012, at age 17, for protesting the government, but was released on the same day. When he did not cooperate with officials who wanted him to spy on other activists, he was re-arrested on May 23 and later sentenced to death on October 27, 2014.

Abdullah Al-Zaher was arrested at age 15 in March of 2013, after being shot at by Saudi security forces. During apprehension, he was violently attacked until he fell to the ground bleeding. He was then forced to sign a paper without reading it or consulting with his family during his interrogation. Al-Zaher was sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion in September 2015.

Mujtaba Al Suweikat was detained at the airport on his way to come to Western Michigan University to study at the Business School. He was tortured into confessing and sentenced to death.

It is unconscionable that – even in the face of such a universally abhorrent action as condemning juveniles to death – the United States government still refuses to impose legally mandated sanctions against the Saudi government for their persecution of religious minorities.

In order to get Congress to act, we have a call to action based on the famous Arabian Night's story of Sheherazade where she saved the lives of many by telling 1001 stories

We are hoping that if we mail congress and senate 1001 letters in the spirit of Sheherazade telling Congress and the Senate the story of these boys, it will inspire them to act to save the lives of these heroes who peacefully protested for democracy and stop further executions in Saudi Arabia.

Instructions:

  1. Download and print out a postcard
  2. Write your congressional representative’s address
  3. Mail it
  4. Take a photo and share it with CODEPINK

Stop the mid-air refueling of Saudi warplanes!

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Without US support, such as mid-air refueling of warplanes, Saudi Arabia cannot continue destroying the civilian population of Yemen. Representatives Khanna (CA), Jones (NC), Pocan (WI) and Lee (CA) have introduced a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prohibit the US refueling of Saudi warplanes that bomb civilians in Yemen. It will be voted on this week. Tell your member of Congress to support the Khanna-Jones amendment to the NDAA.

No Weapons Deal With Saudi Arabia

Resources on the U.S. $110 Billion Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia

On May 20, Donald Trump announced the sale of $110 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia during his first stop on his first international trip as U.S. president (fact sheet and joint strategic vision). At this time it is difficult to determine what items and services would be new and which would be carryover from the Obama administration, as well as when sales would be notified to Congress for their review. Media analysis suggests that perhaps about $24 billion dates to the Obama era, with the provision of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system being the most identifiable new potential sale.

On May 21, Trump addressed the Arab Islamic American Summit where he touted the deal and said, "We are not here to lecture—we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship." That and other statements were widely interpreted as indicating that human rights would not be a factor in arms sales and other dealings with Saudi Arabia.

Precision Guided Munitions Sale Proposed - First Battle in Congress

On May 19, Congress was notified of the potential direct commercial sale of approximately $510 million in precision-guided munitions and related services, reversing a suspension that President Obama instituted in December 2016 due to concerns regarding civilian deaths caused by Saudi actions in Yemen. (Since 2015, the United States has supported a Saudi-led coalition aligned with ousted Yemeni president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi that has been fighting to capture territory in Yemen from the Houthi, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.)

On May 25, Senators Paul, Murphy and Franken introduced a resolution (S.J. Res 42) to block the sale. Six Representatives introduced (H.J. Res 102) the same resolution in the House. Many of these members of Congress were also involved in efforts to block a US-Saudi tank deal in 2016.

In related efforts, Senators Murphy, Paul, Durbin and Franken introduced S.J. Res 40 to suspend certain air-to-ground munition deliveries until the U.S. president certifies that the Saudis show commitment to fighting terrorism, facilitating the flow of humanitarian and commercial goods, and to protecting civilians in Yemen. Additional sponsors have since signed onto the resolution, which would apply to precision-guided munitions in this proposed sale. A similar resolution was introduced in the House on May 25 with 6 co-sponsors -- H.J. Res 104.

Congress can block the president from concluding an agreement if both chambers pass resolutions of disapproval within 30-days of notification of a proposed deal -- in this case that appears to be June 20. As of June 1, no date had yet been set for votes on S.J. Res 42 or H.J. Res 102, but the Senate at a minimum is expected to vote before the 30-day period ends. (Congress also can block a sale at any time up until delivery.)

On May 30, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination Stephen O'Brien addressed a special Security Council meeting on Yemen. In his testimony, O'Brien said Yemen now faces the world's largest food security crisis, "with more than 17 million people who are food insecure, 6.8 million of whom are one step away from famine." Alarmingly, a cholera outbreak has occurred, with 60,000 suspected cases since April and 150,000 new cases expected in the next six months. O'Brien predicted than an attack on Hodeida "will directly and irrevocably drive the Yemeni population further into starvation and famine." 

Now that Ramadan has begun, an invasion by Saudi-UAE led forces on the port of Hodeida appears less likely until after the holiday concludes in the last week of June. Numerous members of Congress and other leaders have expressed opposition to invasion of the port, through which the majority of humanitarian and commercial goods flow into Yemen despite damage to cranes and a de facto blockade.

Stop Trump’s $110B Saudi Weapons Sale!

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Trump just signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia despite the knowledge that these weapons will be used to exacerbate the already catastrophic situation in Yemen. Tell your Senator to co-sponsor the bill to stop the US weapons from reaching Saudi Arabia.

Tell Trump: Don't Escalate War in Yemen!

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Uber: Oppression of Saudi Women

Take Action!

Sign our Petition: Uber: Don't Partner with Saudi Arabia to Oppress Women!

What's the issue?

  • Saudi Arabia is the only country where women are prohibited from driving.
  • There is no official law, but government officials and religious leaders enforce a ban.
  • The ban prevents women from traveling freely, which inhibits their ability to attend school, maintain a job, and socialize.
  • The ban on driving stems from the male guardianship system: a structure which decrees women must have the permission of a male relative (father, husband, brother, or even a son) for any personal decisions such as obtaining medical care, attending school, pursuing a career, or traveling.

How is Uber involved?

  • Uber accepted a $3.5 million investment from Saudi Arabia
  • Uber placed Yasir Al Rumayyan- managing director of the Saudi government fund- on their Board of Directors.
  • The ride services company is profiting from the driving ban on women as their customer base is 80% female.
  • Saudi women are standing against the company because of its partnership with their oppressive government.
  • Watch Video
  • Social media hashtags: #IAmMyOwnGaurdian, #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen

Medea Benjamin’s Book on Saudi Arabia and Speaking Tour

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Buy the Book  |  Book Tour Schedule

The co-founder of CODEPINK has become famous for fearlessly tackling head-on subjects most of us studiously avoid. Sometimes, she does so in person—as during President Obama’s speech at the National Defense University, or during a reception for drone manufacturers and members of Congress, or in Cairo, where she was assaulted by police. Here, she’s researching the sinister nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. In seven succinct chapters followed by a meditation on prospects for change, Benjamin—cited by the L.A. Times as “one of the high-profile members of the peace movement”—shines a light on one of the most perplexing elements of American foreign policy. What is the origin of this strange alliance between two countries that seemingly have very little in common? Why does it persist, and what are its consequences? Why, over a period of decades and across various presidential administrations, has the United States consistently supported a regime shown time and again to be one of the most powerful forces working against American interests? Saudi Arabia is perhaps the single most important source of funds for terrorists worldwide, promoting an extreme interpretation of Islam along with anti-Western sentiment, while brutally repressing non-violent dissidents at home.

With extremism spreading across the globe, a reduced U.S. need for Saudi oil, and a thawing of U.S. relations with Iran, the time is right for a re-evaluation of our close ties with the Saudi regime. Publication September 2016 • 240 pages

Book Orders

Individuals can purchase the book on the CODEPINK website. Groups/organizations interested in purchasing five copies or more can get a 50% discount—which makes the book only $9! Just email orders@orbooks.com or call (212) 514-6485 and let them know you want the want the “CODEPINK activist” price.

Bring Medea to speak in your area! 

Medea will also be traveling around the country for the next nine months on a book tour and campaign to cut US weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and support Saudi dissidents. If you are interested in bringing Medea to your community, email Brienne at brienne@codepink.org!

It’s way past time to call into question the toxic US-Saudi relationship and build a movement that demands an end to US weapons sales to this repressive regime and supports the courageous Saudi dissidents who are trying to transform their nation. With extremism spreading across the globe, a reduced U.S. need for Saudi oil, and a thawing of U.S. relations with Iran, the time is right for such a movement.

Please read the book and help get it out to the public, and invite Medea to speak in your community!

Book Tour Schedule

If you have questions about any of the events or you want to bring Medea to your town contact brienne@codepink.org!

 

Coral Gables, Florida

Monday, November 6th, 7pm

Main Sanctuary of Coral Gables Congregational Church United Church of Christ

3010 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134

Free and open to the public

 

Book Reviews

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia: A Toxic Alliance?, The Leveller, October 10, 2016
Activist and author Medea Benjamin gives readers a vital primer to understand the history, controversies and possible future of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

It's Time to End the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Special Relationship, Alternate, August 17, 2016
Obama is clearly irritated that foreign-policy orthodoxy compels him to treat Saudi Arabia as an ally.

Book review. Kingdom of the Unjust: the US-Saudi connection by Medea Benjamin, Ian Sinclair, September 2016
Having campaigned against the ‘war on terror’ and penned a book on drone warfare in 2012, American CODEPINK activist Medea Benjamin has turned her attention to the United States’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, one of its closest allies.

Medea Benjamin’s Kingdom of the Unjust, by DAVID SWANSON, August 17, 2016
For years and years, activists demanded that the U.S. government make public 28 (turned out to be 29) pages it had censored from a report, because it was suspected they would show a Saudi Arabian role in funding and facilitating the crimes of September 11, 2001.

In-Depth Interview: Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin Talks About Her New Book on Saudi Arabia, Peter Collins, September 29, 2016

Great Minds P2: Medea Benjamin Compares Saudi Labor System to Slavery, Sep. 1, 2016 

Why Is the US Aligned With Saudi Arabia?
September 4, 2016, Truthout

Videos

 

Tell Your Senator to BLOCK ALL Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia!

Did you hear that the Obama administration just blocked a new sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia? Concerned over the high rate of civilian casualties caused by the Saudi bombings in Yemen, the White House stopped a Raytheon sale of 16,000 guided munition kits valued at $350 million. This a great step forward — thanks to all your calls and signing of our petitions.
We must keep pushing. Blocking these munition kits is good, but it’s not enough. Other weapons are still being sold to the Saudis. Just last week, the State Department announced plans to sell Chinook cargo helicopters and other equipment worth $3.51 billion! And the US military continues to refuel Saudi aircraft and provide intelligence information for the Yemen attacks. Moreover, a Trump administration might well restore all weapons sales. That’s why we need Congress to step up. Congress has the right to stop any sales authorized by the State Department, but has refused to exercise its authority.

Tell your U.S. Senators to stop ALL weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, using the form below!

Thank You For Contacting Your Senators!

Thank you for contacting your Senators to urge them to block ALL weapons sale to Saudi Arabia.

Can you help us get as much support as possible by using the links below to share this action on social media and by emailing your friends with the sample message we've included?

 Share This Action
 
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Copy & Paste This Message
 
I just took action to urge my U.S. Senators to stop ALL weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and save the children of Yemen who are facing acute malnutrition. U.S.-made fighter jets, cluster bombs and munitions are being used by Saudi Arabia to kill thousands of innocent civilians in Yemen. It's unconscionable that we would enable them to kill even more people by selling them more weapons!

Join me by taking action at the link below:

http://www.codepink.org/saudiaction

Support the bipartisan resolution to withdraw unauthorized US forces from Saudi-led civil war in Yemen

Saudi Arabia's war and blockade has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and caused the worst cholera outbreak on record, with a million malnourished children at risk from cholera. Every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies of preventable causes like malnutrition and diarrhea. When UNICEF's director was asked how to end Yemen's humanitarian catastrophe, he simply said: "Stop the war."

Your Representatives in Congress can provide crucial leadership to help end Yemen's humanitarian catastrophe. Tell them to vote yes on H. Con. Res. 81, the bipartisan resolution calling for an end to the unauthorized U.S. participation in this war. A vote on ending U.S. participation in Saudi Arabia's famine-producing war will go to the floor.

Cosponsors (23): Massie, Pocan, Jones, Conyers, Lieu, Capuano, Ellison, McGovern, Lee, Raskin, Jayapal, Gabbard, Bass, Pallone, DeFazio, Nolan, Lofgren, Cohen, Slaughter, Blumenauer, Norton, Dingell, Walz

Endorsing groups: CODEPINK, MoveOn.org, Avaaz, CREDO, Win Without War, Yemen Peace Project, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Just Foreign Policy, FreedomWorks, Peace Action, Nonviolence International, DemandProgress, Oxfam America

Endorsing public figures: Bruce Ackerman, Yale Law School; Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School; Barbara K. Bodine, U.S. Ambassador to Yemen (1997-2001); Mickey Edwards, former Member of Congress (R-OK); Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1997); Danya Greenfield, Freedom House; Kristen Breitweiser and Monica Gabrielle, September 11th widows and advocates; Margaret Satterthwaite, NYU School of Law; Philip G. Alston, NYU School of Law; Jeffrey D. Sachs, Columbia University; Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ret.), former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell; Robert Weissman, Public Citizen; creative artists Danny Glover, Mark Ruffalo, Eve Ensler, and Martin Sheen.

 

Feast or Famine?

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While the American people are enjoying their Thanksgiving feast the people of Yemen are suffering under a famine so severe that every 10 minutes a child is dying from malnutrition. The shocking contrast between feast and famine is bad enough. Even worse is the knowledge that the US is supporting the Saudi bombing and blockade that is causing this catastrophe. But Congress has the ability to put a stop to this. Send a message telling your representatives they must demand an end to US complicity in the Saudi bombing and blockade of Yemen.  

No Weapons to Saudi Arabia!

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Did you know that only five Democratic senators voted to continue providing Saudi Arabia with weapons to bomb Yemen? Back in June, a Senate vote to stop a weapons deal to the Saudis lost by 53-47. Thanks to these five Senators, we lost the chance to stop those weapons: Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Mark Warner of Virginia, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. If these five Democrats had voted with the Senate Democratic leadership and the majority of Senate Democrats, the Senate would have taken an historic step to block a Saudi arms deal.

This week, we were in the Senator’s office calling for a change of heart. Please reinforce our message by urging your senator to call for a ceasefire and an end to the Saudi blockade of humanitarian aid, and to co-sponsor SJ Resolution 40, limiting US military sales to Saudi Arabia. Now the situation is even worse. Not only has the war escalated in recent weeks, but the Saudis have imposed a blockade that is keeping food and medicines from millions of people in desperate need.

Tell the Senate to vote to invoke the war powers act now

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This is the moment to mobilize. Pressure is mounting to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia because millions of lives are at stake in Yemen. Tell Congress to act. Pass S.J.Res.7 in the Senate and H.J.Res.7 in the House.

Tell Your Senators: End Our Unauthorized War in Yemen

This doesn’t happen very often—the Senate will soon debate and vote on an American war. Specifically, it will take up a bipartisan resolution to end U.S. participation in the Yemen civil war. This is a big deal. The United States’ role in the Yemen war is complicated and controversial. Importantly, it also hasn’t been authorized by Congress. For too long, Congress has ceded its war powers to the executive branch. That’s always been a dangerous trend—but it’s especially perilous now that Donald Trump is the commander-in-chief. There’s a lot at stake here. Here’s what you need to know.

SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT

Use this number to call your Senators now: 1-833-STOP-WAR

Caller: Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [part of state]. I’m calling about the joint resolution introduced by Senators Lee and Sanders to end our unauthorized war in Yemen. It is essential for Senator [name] to support this resolution when it comes to the floor for a vote.

Staffer: Thank you for calling. The senator is still reviewing the language and I will relay your concerns.

Caller: Please do—Congress has never authorized this war, and evidence shows that the airstrikes the U.S. is supporting are causing a humanitarian crisis and may amount to war crimes. The chaos has allowed terror groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates to gain more power and land. It’s time for Senator [name] to exercise Congress’ constitutional power and end this unauthorized war.

Caller: I’ll be sure to share that with the boss.

Staffer: Thank you—I’ll be closely monitoring the senator’s vote.

What exactly is happening in Yemen?

Yemen has experienced years of political strife that grew out of Yemen’s Arab Spring protests in 2011 that has culminated in a civil war. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition of nations fighting against a Yemeni rebel group called the Houthis.

The United States supports the Saudi-led coalition. This mainly involves providing refueling services for airstrikes, and sharing intelligence for targeting. This military support is essential to the continuation of Saudi’s air campaign that continues to target civilian areas and vital civilian infrastructure in violation of international law.

What does this mean for the people of Yemen?

The Yemen civil war has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Yemen was already the poorest country in the Middle East, and the war has only made a bad situation worse.

At least 10,000 people have died, with more than 40,000 injured—and most of those killed or wounded are civilians. A massive famine is sweeping Yemen due to the war, with more than 8 million on the brink of starvation. The war has created the conditions necessary for Yemen to become home to the largest and fastest-growing cholera crisis ever documented in modern history.

How did things get so bad?

There are a couple of factors contributing to this shocking situation. One is the relentless pounding of U.S. supported, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, many of which amount to war crimes. The UN has stated that these airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition are the biggest source of civilian casualties in Yemen and a key driver to the humanitarian crisis.

The targets of these airstrikes are vulnerable civilian structures and public gatherings that are supposed to be off limits, including schools, hospitals, weddings, markets, and sanitation systems. Again—these strikes are war crimes. And this is the side the United States is supporting.

There’s another major factor contributing to the suffering. The Saudi-led coalition has sealed off key naval ports in a blockade, preventing desperately-needed food, medicine and other assistance from getting into Yemen. Report after report continues to emerge with evidence of how cruel and destructive this tactic has been, and the UN has been unequivocal in stating that Saudi Arabia—and by extension the United States—is using starvation as a weapon of war, which is a war crime.

What is the United States’ role?

The United States is supporting the Saudi-led coalition, by providing mid-air refueling services for the airstrikes, and intelligence to help them target airstrikes in Yemen. The U.S. also sells massive amounts of weapons to the Saudis and the UAE for this war.

This support means the United States owns some of the blame for the humanitarian crisis these airstrikes have created. By helping to facilitate unlawful airstrikes that are pummelling Yemeni civilians, and supporting the side that is blocking food and aid from those same civilians, the United States made clear which side it is on, with horrific results.

This war didn’t start with Trump—the United States has been helping the Saudis commit war crimes in Yemen for years now. But Trump’s Administration has doubled down on a military-only strategy by increasing the U.S. military’s role in the Yemen conflict, only paying limited lip service to the need for diplomacy, and increasing arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

That’s an important factor to keep in mind—there are U.S. companies that stand to lose a lot of money if Saudi Arabia isn’t relying on the United States and purchasing weapons from us.

Is this good for our national security?

No. In fact, U.S. participation in this lengthy war has only helped international terror groups grow in power and strength.

Keep in mind, the United States has already been waging a second war in Yemen for years, directed against armed groups like al-Qaeda affiliates and ISIS.

But with the chaos caused by the other war in Yemen—the civil war in which the United States is helping Saudi Arabia in its bombing campaign—our intelligence community has said those terror groups have been able to gain more power and more land.

Even more cringe-worthy is the fact that al-Qaeda and its affiliates have also been fighting alongside government and Saudi-led coalition forces against Houthi rebels in Yemen. This means that the United States is technically on the same side as al-Qaeda and has essentially become a de facto ally in this conflict.

There’s no military solution to the Yemeni civil war, and its long, drawn-out chaos is directly helping international terror groups grow stronger. Further, by helping to ramp up this civil war, the United States has by proxy involved itself in a conflict threatening to destabilize the region with no clear strategy or endgame in sight. Paired with Trump’s dangerous warmongering, this sets the stage for more escalation of war, the creation of new enemies, and direct U.S. complicity in war crimes.

It’s the #TrumpThreatLevel in action, and it affects us all.

Has Congress authorized the United States military to participate in the Yemen war?

No. (There’s really nothing more we can say here).

So this war is not only terrible policy, it’s completely unconstitutional. Congress, not the President, is supposed to decide where we go to war and when. As long as Congress refuses to do its job, it is complicit in this tragedy.

What can you do to reduce the Trump Threat Level? Support the resolution.

This joint resolution, led by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), uses a procedure to force a vote on the Senate floor within ten days.

If passed by both chambers of Congress, the resolution would declare the U.S. participation in the Yemen war unauthorized, and would end American support for Saudi war crimes.

Of course, this resolution has a nearly impossible path toward becoming law. If it passes the Senate, it still would have to go through the House. And House leadership has already proven that they will not let a binding resolution go to the floor (the House did, however, pass a similar nonbinding version of this resolution in November 2017).

But if the Senate passes this resolution, it will be a major step toward getting Congress to act boldly to resist the Trump threat level. If they’re successful, it would set vital precedent for Congress to do this again in other contexts in the future—perhaps to stop a war with North Korea. As progressives, this is something we must demand from Congress. (Click here to read more about our progressive foreign policy principles.)

It only needs a simple majority to pass. Essentially, a small handful of Democrats will decide the fate of this resolution.

Constitutional powers are meaningless if Congress doesn’t exercise them. While it’s important not just to end our role in the Yemeni civil war, it’s also important for Congress to use this opportunity to flex its war authority muscle, and remember that they have the sole power to put reins around Trump’s warmongering.

We only have ten days to stop Trump’s war in Yemen. Call your senators today and demand that they support this resolution.

Credit: Indivisible.org 

Tell Google To Say No To War

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Google Executives are meeting with Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman. He’s selling them the myth of a reformed society while he continues to repress his people and wage war on Yemen. There’s no excuse and no veneer of reform that can change what is really happening in Saudi Arabia. Tell Google no business with the Prince until he ends his war on Yemen.

Stop the imminent attack on Yemen’s port of Hodeida

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The port of Hodeidah, in southern Yemen, is under attack by the US-backed Saudi coalition. The assault puts the entire nation’s food supply in jeopardy at a time while 22 million Yemenis are already in need of aid, and 8.4 million more are on the brink of starvation. Congress has never authorized the use of US military force in Yemen, making US involvement unconstitutional.

Send a message now to your representatives in Congress, asking them to invoke War Powers Act, forcing a vote to end U.S. participation in the catastrophic Saudi-UAE assault on Hodeidah:

40 children killed. No more weapons to the Saudis!

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The Saudis have been committing war crimes in Yemen since 2015, bombing civilians and blocking the entry of humanitarian aid. Now they have bombed a school bus, killing 51 people, including 40 children. We call on the heads of the Congressional Foreign Relations Committees to oppose the sale of any more weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Send a message to Republican Senator Bob Corker, and House leaders, Representatives Eliot Engel and Ed Royce, to join Senator Menendez in placing a moratorium on the sale of more high-tech munitions to the Saudis.

Stop Bombing Children

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It’s time for the U.S. to stop backing the death of children. Senator Chris Murphy (CT) introduced an amendment to stop allowing US tax dollars to fund the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Tell your Senators to support Sen. Murphy’s amendment, and stop sending bombs to kill innocent Yemenis.

 

Vote "YES" on the War Powers Act!

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Vote "YES" on the War Powers Act!

On August 9, a US-made Lockheed Martin bomb was dropped by Saudi Arabia on a Yemeni school bus. Forty-four young children were killed.

The US-supported Saudi-led war and blockade has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. It has caused the worst cholera outbreak on record, and the largest humanitarian crisis of modern times. Every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies of preventable causes like malnutrition and diarrhea. When UNICEF's director was asked how to end Yemen's humanitarian catastrophe, he simply said: "Stop the war."

The best impact we can have to stop the war is by ending US weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.  Tell your representative in Congress to cosponsor and vote YES on the War Powers Resolution, a bipartisan House resolution calling for an end to the unauthorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war on Yemen.

Save War Powers Act

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Call Paul Ryan and tell him to vote NO on H.R. 1142, which would prevent H.Con.Res 138 from being introduced to the floor for a vote. We have a chance to end US complicity in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, but not if our right to a vote is taken away. Use the script below to urge Paul Ryan not to block a vote for Yemen. Call Ryan’s office at (202) 225-3031

Hello. My name is ______ and I am calling to urge you to VOTE NO ON THE RULE for H.R.1142 today, which would block H.Con.Res.138 from getting to a floor vote. U.S. support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen is unconstitutional and causing the worst man-made humanitarian crisis on the planet. Yemen needs peace and we need to get A CLEAN VOTE ON H.Con.Res.138. Thank you so much.

Then email Ryan and tweet at him:

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