The U.S. Is in a Thankless Spot When It Comes to Yemen’s War
America’s staunchest Arab allies are aggrieved by the president’s withdrawing of military support.
Yemeni tribesmen attend a rally denouncing the United States.
Photographer: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFPAs a career diplomat deeply immersed in Arab affairs, Timothy Lenderking will know to be thankful for small mercies. He can take some comfort from the fact that his appointment as President Joe Biden’s envoy for Yemen did not elicit anything like the fierce opposition to the naming of Rob Malley as the administration’s point man on Iran.
While Malley’s appointment was met with anger and anxiety from those who regard him as soft on Tehran — including Israel, some Gulf Arab monarchies and U.S. Republicans — there has been little hand-wringing over the choice of Lenderking to lead American efforts to end the war in Yemen. Even the Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed the decision, despite the fact that its most powerful members, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are unhappy with Biden’s swift repudiation of his predecessor’s policies on Yemen.