map of yemen

US Considering Big Escalation in Yemen Conflict

This week marks the two year anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention. “The Pentagon is reportedly considering ramping up US support for Saudi Arabia’s bloody war in Yemen, which has already killed at least 10,000, displaced 3 million, and left millions more at risk of famine since it began in March 2015. That would be a major shift from the current US mission there, which has largely focused on using drones and special operations forces to batter al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen. (US Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens was killed during one such raid in January.) Under the potential new plan, the US would be intervening much more heavily in a bloody and so far intractable civil war — potentially leaving Washington ensnared there for years to come.”  (Vox http://bit.ly/2nZxVgl )

Meanwhile..After two years of brutal conflict, families in Yemen are increasingly resorting to extreme measures to support their children, said UNICEF in a report released today as the war in the Middle East’s poorest country enters its third year. (UNICEF http://bit.ly/2mJ2AyD)

All the nuclear powers, and more, boycott UN Nuke Talks…”The United States, Britain and France are among almost 40 countries boycotting talks on a nuclear weapons ban treaty at the United Nations, according to Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the world body. With none of the participants – more than 100 countries – at Monday’s talks belonging to the group of states that possess nuclear weapons, the discussions were doomed to failure. According to Haley, the countries skipping the talks “would love to have a ban on nuclear weapons, but in this day and time we can’t honestly say we can protect our people by allowing bad actors to have them and those of us that are good trying to keep peace and safety not to have them.” (Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/2nZueqW)

A New Study Outlines the “Herculean Effort” Needed to Hit the Paris Agreement’s Goals (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/2o2C83t)

Podcast: James Goldgeier on Russia election interference and “bridging the gap” between academics and policy makers. (Global Dispatches podcast http://bit.ly/2nZBbse