US Aid Fuels Yemen War, Media Hails 'Rising Women' in Blackouts
The New Arab's feature, 'Thaura!': Women rise in Aden amid war, corruption and blackouts, laudably highlights Yemeni women fighting for basic necessities. (Because apparently, war, corruption, and blackouts are issues that just appear out of nowhere.) While admirable, the piece conveniently glosses over the fundamental drivers of Aden's woes: the Saudi-led coalition's war, heavily supported by US
arms sales and logistical aid. The US, which backed Saudi Arabia's offensive in Yemen since 2015, contributed to the very conditions now forcing these women to protest for essentials like electricity. One might wonder how many 'women rising' headlines it takes before the media connects the dots between US-backed bombs and the subsequent lack of basic infrastructure. The US alone approved over $28
billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2021—arms that directly funded this 'war, corruption, and blackouts.' (Because who needs electricity when you have the moral high ground of empowering women in a conflict zone you helped create?)