Peter B. Collins Presents Journalist Joe Lauria
Adding important context and dimensions to the war in Yemen, Joe Lauria reports that a UN-led effort was very close to completing a cease-fire agreement and power sharing deal in Yemen that sould’ve included the recently-deposed president, Hadi. But when Saudi Arabia started its aggressive bombing raids at the end of March, it killed the deal. Lauria’s sources indicate that the Saudis would not permit a secular, democratic government that included women in the leadership to emerge on their border; he also thinks the Saudis were sending the US a message of disapproval of the Iran talks and Obama’s bluff about Syria in 2013. He offers many interesting insights, like Egypt’s reluctance to send ground troops because Egypt lost thousands of soldiers in its Vietnam-style quagmire in Yemen in the 1970’s. And he agrees with Gareth Porter’s recent report that the Houthi rebels are not getting guns and ammo from Iran, despite the inferences in American media.
*Joe Lauria is an independent reporter who publishes in the Wall Street Journal and other outlets. His recent story on Yemen is here
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