The world has lost its moral compass. Both individuals and nations lack a sense of right and wrong. Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate to fill out paperwork for his forthcoming marriage.
He emerged dismembered, courtesy of the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman.
Did the world rise up in his defense? It did not! Our president tweeted: “It could very well be that that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t.” Now, that’s definitive.
So much for wrathful righteousness. Why this lack of caring? Where is the moral indignation? It doesn’t come into play because the Saudis are oil-rich and buy the munitions we manufacture.
This is the dark truth which explains our callous disregard for human rights. The countries which collude with the United States are the United Kingdom, France, and Canada.
The U.S. does aerial refueling and “search and rescue” for the Saudis. Britain and the United States have deployed military forces in support of Saudi air strikes on Yemen.
Human Rights Watch asserts that Saudi actions are a breach of international law. In Yemen, there is a desperate need for food, water and medical aid.
Most shocking, it is estimated that more than 85,000 children under the age of five may have died of starvation. Famine threatens 13 million and an outbreak of cholera has infected an estimated 1.2 million.
The evidence for this humanitarian crisis is overwhelming. To quote Christopher Morley, “There [is] so much handwriting on the wall that even the wall fell down.”
But we are in the midst of a holiday season and do not need to worry about suffering half-way around the world.
We have witnessed genocidal behavior before. Remember the Holocaust and ethnic cleansing. We can shut out the pain felt by others by changing a channel. And so, we become cynical and callous. It is how we survive.
And then, just as we bury our head in the sand and accept the “human condition,” one of the thousand points of light illuminates our landscape.
Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont along with Mike Lee of Utah and Chris Murphy of Connecticut propose a resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Saudi Arabia. It calls the war unauthorized and unconstitutional.
And miraculously, it passes by a vote of 56 to 41. Lest we rest on our laurels, the bill still must pass the House where Speaker Paul Ryan has not yet allowed a vote to take place. Then, there’s the obstacle of Trump who always puts dollars ahead of conscience.
While this scenario plays out, more Yemeni children and families will die.
In the interim, what can we do? Call those who represent us in the halls of power and urge them to do “the right thing”, contribute to organizations which espouse world peace and make contributions to legislators who see the world as you do.
Most important is that we don’t stand idly by. As Israeli novelist Amos Oz has written: “History is made by those who take action. The stubborn determination of people with hope in their hearts can overcome the cynics who say that nothing will ever change.”
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
