Political Quotes

“Let me just take this opportunity to quote some of what he said in that December 7 New York Times article: Some 85,000 children may have already died here in Yemen, and 12 million more people may be on the brink of starvation, casualties in part of the three-year-old American-backed Saudi war in Yemen. United Nations officials and aid experts warn that this could become the worst famine the world has seen in a generation. ``The risk of a major catastrophe is very high,'' Mark Lowcock, the United Nations humanitarian chief, told me. ``In the worst case, what we have in Yemen now has the potential to be worse than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives.'' Nicholas Kristof continues: What is most infuriating is that the hunger is caused not by drought or extreme weather, but by cynical and failed policies in Riyadh and Washington. The starvation does not seem to be an accidental byproduct of war, but rather a weapon in it. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, backed by the United States, are trying to inflict pain to gain leverage over and destabilize the Houthi rebels. The reason: The Houthis are allied with Iran. He continues: The problem in Yemen is not so much a shortage of food as it is an economic collapse--GDP has fallen in half since the war started--that has left people unable to afford food. Kristof continues, and I want you to hear this: We think of war casualties as men with their legs blown off.…”