Senior US lawmakers have called on the UK to live up to its’ moral responsibility ‘and to help end both countries” complicity ‘in the war in Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as a sign of the UK’s pressure Washington will find it necessary to join the Biden government and stop the sale of weapons to the kingdom.
In his first foreign policy speech, US President Joe Biden announced last week that the US would end support for the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen, including the relevant arms sales.
The question now is how far the government will go in pushing allies to take similar steps, especially in the UK, where British officials revealed this week that the UK authorized exports of nearly £ 1.4 between July and September. billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Senator Ron Wyden, the Democratic chairman of the powerful finance committee and a leading critic of Saudi Arabia, said in a statement to the Guardian that he believed the U.S. should not “ engage in the sale of weapons to governments of a track record of using them to commit atrocities ”.
“US allies such as the UK and France must immediately follow suit and stop enabling the Saudi regime,” he said.
Senator Chris Murphy, another Democrat who has taken the lead to end the US offensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia, told the Guardian he knew many in the UK “share our concerns about the arms sales that are happening. feeds the war in Yemen ”.
“The respective economic benefits of these sales do not outweigh our national security and moral responsibility to end complicity in this ongoing nightmare. The joint action of the United States and the United Kingdom is more powerful than either of us alone, and I hope that our governments can work together to prioritize a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Yemen, “ he said.
The State Department has so far declined to comment on the matter and has not commented on questions about whether the Biden government would force Boris Johnson’s government to follow suit.
“We have re-established an inter-agency process to go through the details of individual cases, led by the White House and with all relevant bodies at the table, bringing expertise, discipline and inclusivity back to our policy-making on these issues. We refer you to the UK government to discuss its arms export policy, ”the spokesman added.
On Monday, the UK insisted it would not follow suit, despite pressure from some high-profile conservative backbenchers. Secretary of State James Cleverly said Biden’s decision was solely a matter for Washington.
Policy and defense analysts said it was too early to predict how much pressure Biden would try to put on Johnson at a time when the US is trying to strengthen its diplomatic relations around the world. It was also unclear to some whether the US would try to prevent US defense manufacturers from selling parts to British defense companies that sell weapons to Saudi Arabia.
“I think any pressure on the UK will be quietly and privately exercised,” said Kirsten Fontenrose, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council and a former senior director of golf affairs at the National Security Council under the Trump administration. .
[Biden] couldn’t be more presumptuous than the previous president was, and this is what it would look like if he tried to pressure the UK to further paralyze their economy in an attempt at economic recovery after Covid, ”said Fontenrose.
She added that Johnson’s government would try to “hold on” to their arms sales under pressure from the British defense industry to strike “while the iron is hot” and gain ground in Saudi Arabia’s competitive arms market. after the departure from the US.
“The British aspect of the Saudi deal raises complications that the Biden administration is not yet ready for,” said US defense analyst Loren Thompson.
“This government does not like and has little appreciation for the government of Saudi Arabia. But that goes against the interests and perhaps the tendency of the British government. Britain is an important ally, so this will have to be reconciled, ”he added.
Raytheon, the world’s third-largest weapons manufacturer, told investors last month that it would scrap a planned $ 519 million sale of an offensive weapon system to a Middle Eastern customer, but could not provide more details.
“Remember, the President of the United States is ultimately the largest customer of these companies. He heads an executive arm that is the world’s largest purchaser of both weapons and technology. So they will have to be really wary of what they say in the record, ”Thompson said.
While there are hundreds – if not thousands – of US suppliers to British arms manufacturers, experts said these are unlikely to be affected by the US ban on assault weapons unless the US imposes sanctions on Saudi Arabia in the future.
In Washington, the Biden administration has yet to fulfill a promise to issue an unclassified report on the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Fontenrose and other experts said the details of that report, including whether it contains a “ smoking gun, ” proving Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder, could determine how the US – and allies – move forward.
“If the US wants to, it could put tremendous pressure on the UK and the UK should collapse,” said Roy Isbister, head of the weapons unit at Saferworld, an organization focused on conflict prevention.
If the UK does not follow suit, and if the US is serious about its ambition to change Saudi Arabian policy, the UK could “potentially undermine US policy,” Isbister added.
“To maintain Saudi aerial combat in Yemen, it needs continued support from its suppliers. I’ve heard some people say that the Saudi Air Force is starting to fall out of the sky pretty quickly unless they have support. “