President Donald Trump holds up a chart of military hardware sales as he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20, 2018. SipaUSA/Press Association. All rights reserved.Whether by design or accident, the third anniversary of the international military intervention in Yemen’s civil war coincides with Mohammed bin Salman’s first official visit to the USA as crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was the brain behind the coalition originally intended to return to power the transitional regime established after the 2011 popular uprisings, a regime which can roughly be described as intended to shift power from one kleptocratic elite in Yemen to another. Regardless of this past[1], the situation on the third anniversary of the first air strikes on Sana’a city, is causing considerable embarrassment to the regime which MBS effectively leads.
Even Trump, a firm supporter since he was given an extravagantly kitsch royal welcome in Riyadh last May, found it necessary to call on the Saudis to lift the blockade[2] on Yemeni ports last December because of its dreadful humanitarian impact.
