Win Without War
(March 17, 2021) — One hour before Donald Trump left office he quietly approved an arms sale of epic proportions: $23 BILLION worth of state-of-the-art fighter jets, top-of-the-line armed drones, bombs, and missiles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This is an outrageous reward to one of the most abusive governments in the region that also plays a leading role in the wars in Yemen and Libya. Rewarding the UAE with more weapons is a reward that spits in the face of every Yemeni and Libyan family who has lost a loved one, a reward that deepens one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, a reward so substantial it could dramatically change the balance of power in the Gulf — and it’s a reward Biden has not yet rejected.
Right now, there’s a battle royale going on behind the scenes in the White House over whether to approve Trump’s dirty deal or stand up for human rights. Well-connected weapons manufacturers are working hard to keep the weapons and the profits flowing — but we’re working harder.
The Win Without War team is texting and calling every contact and every contact of a contact in the White House to let them know: we HAVE to end the culture of impunity for the war in Yemen. One way we do that is by immediately, and permanently banning ALL arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE — and we need your support to make it happen.
Under this sale, the UAE would be one of only a handful of countries to own F-35 fighter jets and US-armed drones, along with their associated bombs and missiles. Simply possessing weapons like these could tip the balance of power in an already volatile region and create new tensions — including worsening the brutal conflicts in Yemen and Libya.
Brutality that, sadly, appears to be on the rise. Just this week, the UN special envoy for Yemen warned of a “dramatic” deterioration in the war. An estimated one million internally displaced people are at grave risk, including children who are being increasingly drawn into the war effort.
US-made weapons sold to Saudi Arabia and the UAE enable this catastrophic suffering.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re seeing signs that a different path — one that values human life and human rights — is possible. Last month, President Biden committed to ending offensive US military support in Yemen. A positive step, but it leaves us wondering why Trump’s BILLION dollar arms sale hasn’t been fully rejected?
The time for a clean-break from the past is NOW. If we don’t ban these sales, US-made weapons will keep flowing to the region, and keep driving the violence. That’s why we’re ramping up our work — hopping on the phone, in chat, and on Zoom, day in and day out, to make sure our message is heard loud and clear in the White House: the next step toward ending US complicity in Yemen, is canceling ALL arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It’s urgent work, and we need you with us to do it.
Thank you for working for peace,
Amy, Faith, Abbey, and the Win Without War team
P.S. Want to take your activism a step further? Join us on March 25 for “#YemenCantWait: Where do we go from here?” Click the link to learn more and RSVP! Win Without War 2020, 1 Thomas Circle NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005. (202) 656-4999 | info@winwithoutwar.org
