Ukraine vs. Yemen: On the UK's wilful blindness to its complicity in 'wars of choice'

The essential difference between Ukrainian civilians being obliterated by Russian-made bombs and Yemeni civilians being obliterated by British-made bombs is not being discussed by the UK government. In its rush to be seen to be doing the right thing in the face of Russian aggression, Boris Johnson’s administration is focusing on one hellish conflict, while largely ignoring another.  

Action by Britain and its allies against the Ukraine War is a must. Everything from sanctions to diplomatic isolation will make it harder for Russian President Vladimir Putin to prosecute his assault on a former Soviet state using some of the fiercest weapons known to mankind.

Aid, including homes for refugees, is rightly a priority. However, how on earth does revulsion against the savagery unfolding in eastern Europe square with what the British are doing in Yemen? The conflict there is intensifying, as men, women and children are slaughtered by weapons that bring billions into the British economy. UK military specialists are also actively training the Saudi military in how and when to use them.

''Yes, Britain and the US have provided more than £3billion-worth of humanitarian aid since 2015, but this figure is dwarfed by what companies like BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin UK are making from the war.'' 

The Yemeni war started in 2014, when Houthi rebels deposed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia. A coalition led by the Saudis, and supported by western countries including the US and Britain, now wants to restore his rule. 

The assault on Yemen has involved airstrikes targeting hospitals, schools, and all kinds of other infrastructure. It has been accompanied by a humanitarian disaster encompassing starvation and disease, and leaving some 380,000 civilians dead by the end of 2021, the United Nations estimates. Children under the age of five are among the most common victims.

Yes, Britain and the US have provided more than £3billion-worth of humanitarian aid since 2015, but this figure is dwarfed by what companies like BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin UK are making from the war. Analysis of the publicly available accounts of BAE, Britain’s largest arms manufacturer, suggests the multinational has provided more than £17bn-worth of weapons and war-related services over the past seven years. 

BAE even has a staff of more than 6,500 operatives based in Saudi Arabia. Their jobs extend to manning battlefield command centres. UN special envoy Hans Grundberg has pointed to an “alarming” increase in coalition raids on residential areas of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and the port of Al-Hudaydah. At least 650 civilians were killed or injured in the war this January alone, according to the UN. Humanitarian aid is fast running out, to the extent that millions are without food or even drinking water. 

Mr Johnson has done nothing to halt the carnage, least of all by questioning the bloody contribution of BAE or Lockheed. Instead, he set off for talks with his Saudi Arabian allies this month, making it clear that his focus was on Ukraine alone. 

Questioned about the Saudi Kingdom’s appalling human rights record, and in particular the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi – allegedly by assassins sanctioned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – Johnson switched the subject, saying: “I think that we’ve got a global crisis in which it’s obvious that the Russian aggression in Ukraine has helped to trigger a spike in the price of hydrocarbons, a spike in the price of oil.” 

Neither was there any discussion about the Saudi regime executing 81 men in the space of a day. In fact, the Saudis put three other citizens to death on the very day that Johnson was meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Johnson said that “in spite” of the killings, “things are changing in Saudi Arabia”, adding: “That’s why we see value in engaging with Saudi Arabia and why we see value in the partnership.”

The “value” is, as usual, measured in terms of economic and weapons trade. Johnson’s immediate aim was to speed up the oil supply from the Arabian Peninsula, so as to help reduce spiralling energy prices in Britain. As Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, put it: “Going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”. 

''The logical and tragic conclusion is that wars involving predominantly dark-skinned, Muslim casualties – the kind also played out in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya – are of far less importance than conflicts harming those from white European states.''

It is not just Johnson who is guilty of such horrific double-standards either. They are engrained in western culture.

Next month will see the Invictus Games – the Olympics style event for wounded service personnel being held in Holland – being partly funded by “presenting partner” Lockheed Martin. BAE Systems also signed a deal to support the UK Team, and its logo has appeared on competitors’ shirts. 

Prince Harry, a self-styled humanitarian, is the patron of Invictus, yet has not commented on its association with such firms, let alone the role they are playing in the Yemeni War. Harry has, of course, posted a message saying that he “stands with Ukraine” following the Russian invasion. He is less unequivocal when discussing other blighted countries.

The logical and tragic conclusion is that wars involving predominantly dark-skinned, Muslim casualties – the kind also played out in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya – are of far less importance than conflicts harming those from white European states. 

Lest we forget, there is a PR video easily viewable on YouTube which shows Harry, a retired British Army soldier, allegedly mowing down Afghans in their own land using a .50mm calibre machine gun and boasting, “They poke their heads up and that’s it”. 

Such crassness is typical of those who view the military-industrial complex as a necessary evil. It is a grotesque position, and one that the Ukraine emergency has thrown into sharp focus. A change in mindset is long overdue, with the priority being for those in power to recognise and protect the victims of war wherever they come from.

Nabila Ramdani is a multi-award-winning French-Algerian journalist, columnist, and broadcaster who specialises in French politics, Islamic affairs, and the Arab World.

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@alaraby.co.uk

Opinions expressed here are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect those of their employer, or of The New Arab and its editorial board or staff.