Legislators call Biden’s Yemen policy a ‘historic shift’ in foreign relations
When United States President Joe Biden announced to stop supporting Saudi Arabia’s offensive operations in Yemen, Representative Ro Khanna felt the president’s decision was a justification of a fight he has been engaged in for the last few years. Khanna, a progressive Democratic leader from California, introduced a measure in 2017 known as the Yemen War Powers resolution.
It aimed to cut U.S. military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, which initiated a humanitarian crisis in the country. At that time, there was little support on Capitol Hill from former president Trump. Now the new administration also appeared to embrace the policy. In an interview with CNN, Khanna named the recent move a historic and profound shift that marks a new chapter in the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia.
The Congressman says that they are open to Saudi’s sayings; no, there isn’t a war they support. He adds that as per his assumption Biden makes it a clear statement that the relationship with Saudi Arabia is no longer what it once was. Chris Murphy, a Democratic Senator from Connecticut, said in an interview that he believes the recent move will strengthen American national security, specifically if it makes the region less unstable as a result.
The clash space made openings for ISIS and Al-Qaeda grow. It was a mistake from the start for the United States to involve in this war. Furthermore, he expressed his pleasure that their participation finally comes to an end. The move is a primary worldwide consequence of Joe Biden taking over from Donald Trump, who prevented the Yemen War Powers resolution in 2019 after it passed House with bilateral support.
Yemen Civil War
Yemen involved in a years-long civil war that pitted an alliance backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a Shia military and political organization from the north of Yemen. In addition, the conflict cost thousands of civilian lives. Democratic leaders are optimistic the Biden government will prioritize humanitarian and diplomatic efforts to end the war and point to the fact that Timothy Lenderking appointed a special diplomat for Yemen as a promising sign.
However, questions remain over exactly what America will do next and how the government will implement the policy change, and representatives on both sides of the corridor are promising oversight. Biden, in his first major foreign policy speech, announced an end to all U.S. support for aggressive operations in the war in Yemen, including arms sales. Though he also said his administration would continue to support and help Saudi Arabia to defend its territory and sovereignty integrity.
Legislators call Biden’s Yemen policy a ‘historic shift’ in foreign relations Source: Web
How U.S. Congress can exercise oversight over Yemen Policy
Mike Lee, the Republican Senator of Utah who co-sponsored the Yemen War Powers Resolution in the Senate, expressed his thrill by the policy announcement but added that if Congress wants to monitor the executive branch over the Yemen conflict in the future, representatives could always push again to pass another version of the resolution. In 2019, CNN reported that America was the biggest supplier of arms to both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and its support has been vital to the Saudi war in Yemen.
