BY POLLY MANN
The Guardian Weekly is a British publication and therefore its criticism of the British government has a greater impact than that, say, of an American newspaper. Thus its criticism of that country’s arms shipments to Yemen is important. The question I ask is, why shouldn’t Great Britain sell arms to the Yemenis? It’s a moral issue, says the newspaper in its February 17th edition. The U.N. has warned that “12 million Yemeni are on the brink of famine, while 19 million—more than two-thirds of the population need assistance and protection. An already impoverished country has been devastated by a conflict fueled by arms sales and support from the U.K. (Great Britain), the U.S. and others.” Wouldn’t it be great if that sum could be used to buy food for those hungry people? It could be the beginning of a peaceful revolution.
