People Are Killing Each Other - Who's Right? Who's Wrong?
Original:
Yemen Houthi rebels attack airport, power plant in Saudi Arabia
Like me you're probably aware that the War in Yemen hasn't received much mainstream media attention so far. I presume this is due, in part at least, to lucrative weapons industry interests. Anyway, the gist to-date has been that Saudi Arabia has been seeking to influence the internal politics of Yemen with military strikes. This is the first report I've seen that demonstrates any kind of push back from one of the factions negatively impacted by Saudi's actions. So now there are two 'sides'. Not just aggressors and victims, but victims on 'all sides of the conflict'. These 'Yemen Houthi rebels' probably haven't considered how the Western media dynamic of their conflict may have suddenly changed in the hands of Western media manipulators. Hardly surprising given their circumstances. However, I suggest that it's now possible for any principle underlying their struggle to be relativised out of existence by whomever is in the most powerful position to do so. Has the Truth changed for anyone involved? No, just perceptions swirling in the media and fed to whichever consumer wants to channel it into his existing, often self-serving, world view.
So what can I do about it? Study the history and background to the conflict? Deeply appreciate all the subtle religious nuances over hundreds, and even thousands, of years? Admirable you might say. But am I honestly going to do that on a Tuesday morning, when I have work to do and bills to pay? Even if I did, why exactly should anyone take any more notice of my 'insights' than anyone else? Why focus on Yemen? Why not S-E Asia, Brexit or Russia?
What's useful, I find, in such circumstances is the consistent application of a principle. It's possible today to scour Wikipedia and peer back over history in a relatively efficient fashion. At each juncture of conflict has one side initiated physical violence to force it's worldview on another? Once someone/group is being violently imposed upon it would be perverse for them not to physically defend themselves.
Such a 'simplistic' approach is hard for many people to countenance for a very good reason: It brings into question our own condition. For anyone living under the purview of a State and paying tax tribune 'protection' money the threat of physical violence for 'non-believers' is ever present. Of course, it isn't perceived that way which is why it's so much easier to flick through headlines like the one above, shake one's head at the 'madness' in the World, and get back to doing far more work than necessary to keep the violent conflict from our own front door.