The US view of Yemen as an al-Qaida hotbed is a travesty of the truth

Yemen is a real place where people are demanding social justice and democracy. Their cause is only harmed by the US

Brian Whitaker

theguardian.com, Wednesday 7 August 2013

 

"Yemenis in the city of Sanaa awoke on Tuesday morning to the sound of rattling windows and a constant buzzing in the sky. It was a noise that brought one word to the minds of those who heard it – "drone" – and a sense of apprehension as they awaited the explosion on the ground that seemed sure to come at any moment.

Citizens of Yemen's capital are not accustomed to drones – strikes usually happen in more remote parts of the country – but the white object circling overhead, harmlessly as it turned out, gave them a small taste of what it's like to be on the receiving end.

"If this is how much fear, terror, and anger what just sounds to be a drone makes in Yemen's capital, imagine what it does in areas it actually bombs," activist Farea al-Muslimi tweeted.

In fact, it wasn't a drone on this occasion. The object in the sky was soon identified from photographs as a manned P-3 surveillance aircraft (or, as Yemeni journalist Shuaib Amosawa dubbed it, a "subservience plane"). Interestingly, the P-3 is mostly used for detecting submarines but has also seen service in Afghanistan where submarines are as rare as they are in Yemen. But what, exactly, was it doing over Sanaa?......

Before becoming president, Hadi had no real power base in Yemen and without strong international backing – especially from the US – he would be unlikely to survive for long. That leaves him in no position to resist American demands and at the same time it further damages his support at home. In effect, the US is propping him up with one hand and dragging him down with the other."