Interview: Yemenis determined to be free from Saudi influence

…by  Jim W. Dean, VT Editor   … with Press TV,  Tehran

Press TV has conducted an interview with Jim W. Dean, managing editor of the VT from Atlanta, on the impact of Yemeni fighters’ retaliatory attacks on the relentless Saudi aggression against their country.

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– First aired  …  December 7, 0215 –

You can view the 3.5 minute studio interview here. Sorry, but there was no embed code available

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

[ Editor’s Update: Since this interview we have learned that to avoid more Saudi casualties and risk getting the home folks too riled up the Royal family is pulling more mercenaries into Yemen, we hear in the 20,000 range, using the old Blackwater dealers of death. They have been assembling what could almost pass for a UN force for the nationalities involved, from Africa, the EU and South America… JD ]

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Press TV: How is the war undermining the Saudis domestically and also on an international level?

Dean: Well, we heard there were some upset Saudi princes primarily more concerned with the hemorrhaging of the money due to the oil prices, Saudis’ flooding oil production to keep their market share, driving the prices down, and using up their foreign currency reserves, and then war in Yemen coming on top of that, more wasted money.

We don’t really know what the cost figures are around the world. But as in past interviews, I’ve said the Saudi leadership when you have an extremely wealthy leadership, the casualties that they’re incurring really don’t bother them.

Dead Saudi soldiers would just be replaced by new ones. So, the government doesn’t care anything about them.

They care about any loss of prestige and their major allies that they want to keep good relations with. Of course the major allies, particularly the US, are working with them on the Yemen war; although, some aren’t, Pakistan didn’t, and Egypt hasn’t contributed any troops.

I think we will continue to see a war of attrition going on here, I don’t see the Saudis running out of money and I don’t see them incurring any casualties that will deter them.

And really, I’m amazed that how Yemen has put up the fight that they have. I have no idea where they’re getting their ammunition from, where gasoline is coming from to run their vehicles, because they have a complete blockade on.

So, they either have some large storage facilities or they are best smugglers in the world and very determined people that are meant to be free.

Press TV: The United Nations has already said that Yemen is on the verge of famine and drought. Let’s get back to this. And what seemed to be an easy war for the Saudis is a conflict which drags on, and these mounting civilian casualties, a worsening humanitarian situation; why is the criticism from international rights organizations as well as the United States, a key arms supplier for the Saudis not producing any results?

Dean: I’m afraid the Saudi buying power for weapons is a very big political lever in the countries that sell them weapons – the French, the British and the US. So, no one is going to allow some dead Yemenis get in the way of making a lot of money, selling the Saudis more weapons.

And then, you haven’t heard very much about that aspect. It’s really shown the weakness of the UN here. There’s been no talk really of sanctions on Saudi Arabia or any of the other participants.

So, you see there are no international institutions that are really standing up. Unfortunately, because Yemen is such a small unknown country and there are so many conflicts going on. There are just at really kind of the bottom of the barrel in terms of getting attention.

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Jim W. Dean

Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022.  He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.

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