The Debate - U.S. Yemen Policy

US President Joe Biden has announced an end to US support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen, indicating that the new administration is planning a more active role in efforts to end the war. In his first foreign policy speech as president Biden said “This war has to end,” and to underscore the US' commitment, Washington would end all relevant arm sales to the Saudis. In reaction to the US president’s decision, Yemen’s Supreme Political Council said that Yemenis will not be fooled by mere US statements. The announcement also puts the spotlight on a major humanitarian crisis that the US helped aggravate. The reversing of the policy also comes as a rebuke to Saudi Arabia, a major US ally in the Persian Gulf region. The war, which has been accompanied by an all-out siege of the impoverished Arab country, has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.