Press TV talks with journalist and political analyst Sarah Marusek to get a deeper understanding of the very difficult situation for the Yemenis who have been protesting for the removal of the brutal regime now for several weeks.
Press TV: How is it that Saleh can get away with this use of poisonous weapons? We haven't seen much of this reported in any Western media.
Sarah Marusek: You are right that there is not enough reporting of this coming from the West on this dire situation in Yemen. Right now, it's very disturbing to see the pictures you are showing in light that it is probable that the weapons and poison gas have come from the West, particularly from the UK and America.
I feel weighted myself as an American I feel responsible in many ways because our government has not said anything in respect to Yemen against the Saleh regime.
And I think we need to consider that only two days ago Saleh proposed that he was willing to have a new constitution and to negotiate with the protesters. And this shows that the protesters were absolutely correct in refusing that outstretched hand because as it appears, Saleh has no interest in negotiating or being fair; he has no interest in justice or incorporating the people into the political process.
Instead there is violence against the people with live bullets and poison gas. One wonders how much American, Britain and European countries, how much power they have in negotiating with Saleh; how much they pushed him to opening up - it's very difficult to watch what is happening right now and that it is happening with impunity and that Western journalists aren't covering it and Western politicians are not saying nearly enough.
In Libya, which is also a tragedy, Gaddafi has not pretended that he was willing to negotiate. I think that Saleh who has pretended to be democratic, but then responds with this kind of violence shows how oppressive he really is.
Press TV: The lack of response from the West - Does that in itself give someone like Saleh a green light to continue with what he is doing and actually intensify the violence?
Sarah Marusek: In some way I suspect that is correct. Because Saleh offered a democratic solution and revised constitution the West could say look he is trying, but the people refused, or, that it justifies Saleh's repressive tactics against the people who are protesting in the streets and I think that is very problematic.
Press TV: Are you saying that Washington doesn't know themselves or are you talking about the American people? - because considering this lack of the news even getting out to the West, the average American watching regular television wouldn't have a clue as to what is going on.
Monitoring reports coming from other media sources we observe that it was very 'doctored up' and not showing raw footage that we are showing here. I'm sure this would affect the average American if they could see it. Why do you think they are not being shown?
Sarah Marusek: There are probably multiple reasons and unfortunately the American media doesn't' have any international coverage at all really unless we have American troops literally on the ground - we get some coverage from Afghanistan and Iraq. Very few Americans would know where Libya is on the map or who President Saleh is, or that he is not a democratically elected president.
Some of the problem is inherent in American social structure and the American media agenda generally, but I think you are correct and I think American people are generally good people and if they were watching this coverage you're showing that it would seriously impact them and they would question what is going on and why this is not more of a story paid attention to.
Yemen is seen for whatever reason as a key to America's struggle against al-Qaeda and that seems to allow a lot of editors to refuse to show this kind of coverage because they think it's in the American good perhaps of what Saleh is doing to his people and that Yemen cannot go (down) and that it must be 'stable;' it must not become a country that American diplomacy and relationships are destabilized - because of this so-called threat of al-Qaeda. It would create too many question marks in the American public.
Things can't go on though with the green light that Saleh has from Western powers to abuse these people.
Press TV: Basic supplies (UN humanitarian supplies) have been lacking in many things the people need and though international supplies are getting in, a lot of the supplies that could be helpful seem to not be making it into their hands. What is your view?
Sarah Marusek: It's worrying and peculiar to look at what is happening with the United Nations and the international community when it comes to Libya. There is a lot of talk, but not a lot of decisions being made. It's understandable to negotiate and to take time on the question of airstrikes for example, but why the delay and in not enough humanitarian aid coming through is another question.
The American defense department has said that one of the reasons they are not interested in a no fly zone nor of sending any American troops to support the Libyan people is because there is very little American interest to do so because they are not necessarily fighting for something that will give Americans anything so they are not willing to risk their soldier's lives.
And I think the people on the ground in Libya should be wary of international support if things are only going to be framed in this instrumentalist fashion where European or American or international troops only fight because it is in their interests to fight and not to save lives.
Perhaps the lack of humanitarian supplies is also reflective of this problem right now; this mindset dominating international institutions where we forget, looking on at Bosnia or at Rwanda, and saying never again. We always say never again, but again keeps on happening over and over.
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