Britain shouldn’t sell arms to the Saudis, no matter what promises they make
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Britain shouldn't sell arms to the Saudis, no matter what promises they make
Riccardo Labianco, SOAS, University of London
Since the catastrophic Yemeni civil war began in 2015, the British public has woken up to a serious problem: the use of UK-manufactured arms by Saudi Arabia. Various NGOs, campaigners and many MPs are increasingly worried about evidence that since the beginning of the conflict, Saudi Arabia has used UK-manufactured arms in ways that violate international law.
The British government, however, seems content to continue selling weapons to the Saudis – and indeed has worked hard to justify doing so. Government representatives have repeatedly claimed that the UK enjoys a “privileged position” from which it can train the Saudi armed forces and pressure them to comply with the international law of armed conflict. The corollary is that if the UK gave that position up, someone more nefarious would inherit it.
As the UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said in the House ...
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