Don’t Blame Trump for the Yemen Raid’s Outcome
Debris and smoke rise after a Saudi-led airstrike hit an army base, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 22, 2017.
By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon Council on Foreign Relations Read bio
February 2, 2017
There’s more to the story, from special operators who chafed at Obama administration micromanagement to the unexpected well-prepared enemies who lay in wait.
Blame for the Yemen raid going terribly wrong is now being placed squarely on the desk of the new president. Reports surfaced on Thursday night to say that President Trump had authorized the raid in Yemen, which targeted Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula without sufficient intelligence and backup planning. Some critics of the president immediately cited the story as a sign that Trump said “yes” without a full appreciation for the life-and-death stakes of this kind of combat operation.
I have written against Trump’s immigrant ban, arguing that it places U.S. allies in Iraq, Syria, and beyond at risk and leaves America less safe, not more. But in the case of the Yemen raid, critics seem to be misunderstanding just how these missions work.
http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2017/02/dont-blame-trump-yemen-raids-outcome/135126/?oref=d-mostread
