- Social:
independent Yemen analyst
Non-resident fellow at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies; Yemen researcher and analyst, and founder of the blog, Yemeniaty.com
PROFILE
Sama'a Al-Hamdani
Guest
FROM Sama'a Al-Hamdani
To the Point
The United States in another Middle-East civil war For months, State Department officials and a few members of Congress have warned that America's at risk of violating international law. Until today, it was all about US military aid to Saudi Arabia's bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, its tiny neighbor already devastated by civil war. Today, an American warship fired cruise missiles into Yemen — in retaliation for shots fired from shore -- making the US more directly involved than ever. Now Iran is sending ships to the region -- escalating an already tense international situation while a humanitarian disaster unfolds on the ground.
To the Point
New Yemen airstrikes change shape of war Why are some bloody conflicts all but ignored, while others are continually making the news? This weekend in Sana'a, capital city of Yemen, hundreds of mourners were paying their respects to a family after the death of its patriarch. The funeral was suddenly shattered by an aerial bombardment that killed more than 100 people. Yemen researcher and analyst Sama'a Al-Hamdani, a fellow at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, says the reasons the Yemeni conflict is overlooked, are often misunderstood.
To the Point
Has Obama's War on Terror Lost a Key Ally? Since the attempted underwear bombing of 2009, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has not been accused of trying to attack the United States. But its operatives in Yemen have increased from hundreds to thousands — and they claim responsibility for the massacre at Charlie Hebdo. Yesterday, the US conducted its first drone attack of the year against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Are President Obama's drone strikes keeping America safe? He admits his strategy is "not neat and not simple," but he calls it "the best option we have." After last week's collapse of a sympathetic Yemini government, is that still true?
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To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?