In Yemen, a civilian is dying nearly every hour from a massive cholera outbreak, as the ongoing U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign and naval blockade has devastated the country’s health, sanitation and water systems. We speak to guests Dr. Mariam Aldogani and Anas Shahari of Save the Children Yemen. See the full conversation here.
Democracy Now! is an independent, daily global news hour anchored by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. We air live weekdays 8-9AM ET and rebroadcast throughout the day on nearly 1,400 TV & radio stations in 43 countries. Here we post excerpts from our interviews and key moments from our daily show.
Why is Iran regarded here as the greatest threat to world peace? Well, we have an authoritative answer to that from the intelligence community, which provides regular assessments to Congress on the global strategic situation. And a couple of years ago, their report—of course, they always discuss Iran. And the reports are pretty consistent. They say Iran has very low military spending, even by the standards of the region, much lower than Saudi Arabia, Israel, others. Its strategy is defensive. They want to deter attacks long enough for diplomacy to be entertained. The conclusion, intelligence conclusion—this is a couple years ago—is: If they are developing nuclear weapons, which we don’t know, but if they are, it would be part of their deterrent strategy. Now, why is the United States and Israel even more so concerned about a deterrent? Who’s concerned about a deterrent? Those who want to use force. Those who want to be free to use force are deeply concerned about a potential deterrent. So, yes, Iran is the greatest threat to world peace, might deter our use of force.
Noam Chomsky on the United States and Iran. Watch our full interview with Noam Chomsky here.
Trump’s people say that, by all standards, this [raid] is a success. It’s never a success when you have 8-year-old kids and infants being killed, or when you have, you know, Navy SEALs being sent on missions that are not really about the defense of the United States.
Investigative journalist & co-founder of The Intercept Jeremy Scahill on the U.S. raid in Yemen that resulted in the death of 8-year-old Nawar al-Awlaki, Chief William “Ryan” Owens and 24 civilians. Watch the full interview: Yemen: Jeremy Scahill & Advocates Question “Success” of Trump Raid That Killed 24 Civilians
I asked a senior State Department official, ‘What was the Saudi plan when they started this bombing campaign? What was the strategy for the bombing?’ And he got a bit exasperated. He said, ‘Plan? There was no plan. They simply bombed anything and everything.’
Journalist Andrew Cockburn on U.S. support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen. Watch and read the full interview here: “This is Our War & It is Shameful:” Journalist Andrew Cockburn on the U.S. Role in the War in Yemen
Aid groups warn that Yemen is on the brink of famine as Saudi Arabia’s offensive intensifies. According to the United Nations, 80 percent of Yemenis are in need of some form of humanitarian aid, and more than one million have fled their homes, as a Saudi naval blockade has cut off food and fuel supply lines for much of the country. More than 3,000 people, including 1,500 civilians, have died in Yemen since the U.S.-backed Saudi offensive began on March 26. For an update on the latest developments, Democracy Now! interviews Farea Al-Muslimi, co-founder of the Sana‘a Center for Strategic Studies in Yemen, and Matt Aikins, a foreign correspondent who recently returned from Yemen. Tune in at democracynow.org.
Next door to Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, Yemenis wait days at the pump. The United Nations says 20 million Yemenis, 78 percent of the population, need urgent humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Yemen enters its third month.
Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports live from the capital, Sana`a, Watch at democracynow.org.
“The U.S. shouldn’t be exporting any kind of cluster munition to anybody,” says Stephen Goose, director of Human Rights Watch’s Arms Division. In today’s interview, he accuses the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of dropping banned cluster bombs manufactured and supplied by the U.S. on civilian areas in Yemen. When asked if the munitions were likely to cause civilian casualties, Goose replied: “You can bet on it.”
Watch his interview on Democracy Now! today.
The Saudis drop bombs on Yemen while calling it a humanitarian mission. It’s a play straight from the American playbook.
Toby Jones, author of “Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia.” He joined Democracy Now! to discuss Saudi Arabia’s military assault on Yemen. Watch the interview at democracynow.org.
The U.S. government has effectively abandoned its citizens in Yemen.
Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a Yemeni American recalls his harrowing escape from Yemen after being stranded there since December 2014. Hear his story on Democracy Now! today.
People try and frame this as an Iran-versus-Saudi kind of battle, which it has now become, but it’s very much because of domestic politics.
Iona Craig, a journalist who was based in Sana’a for four years as the Yemen correspondent for The Times of London. Watch her report on Democracy Now! today.