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Published in Politics and Government on Saturday, September 13th 2025 at 14:01 GMT by World Socialist Web Site
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US Imperialism in 2025: A Re‑ignition of the War in Yemen and the Global Consequences

The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) published a detailed article on 12 September 2025 that revisits the United States’ escalating involvement in the war in Yemen, placing it in a broader narrative of twentieth‑ and twenty‑first‑century imperialist aggression. The piece, part of a series of sub‑articles under the umbrella “a006‑s12,” offers a comprehensive historical review, a critique of the motives behind the renewed U.S. intervention, and an assessment of the humanitarian toll. In addition to the main narrative, the article interlinks with other WSWS analyses—most notably those on “The War on the West” and “Imperialist Wars in the 21st Century”—providing readers with a richer context.

1. Historical Context: The U.S. and Yemen Since 2010

The article opens by tracing the United States’ presence in Yemen back to the early 2010s, when Washington began supplying Saudi Arabia with a significant portion of its arms purchases. It highlights that, from 2014 onward, the U.S. played a “shadow‑arms‑dealer” role, providing sophisticated technology, intelligence, and logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition that launched a full‑scale military offensive against the Houthi rebels. The WSWS piece underlines that these operations were framed by Washington as a “counter‑terrorism” initiative, yet the article argues that the primary motive was to secure control over the strategic Red Sea trade lanes and protect Saudi oil interests.

In a historical overview, the article notes that the U.S. had repeatedly tried to broker peace in Yemen (e.g., through the Riyadh agreements in 2018), but each attempt was undermined by the continuing American supply of arms and by the political pressure from Saudi allies. The WSWS piece cites a 2019 congressional report that revealed the U.S. had sold over $11 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE during the war, a figure that underscores the financial stakes of the conflict.

2. 2025: A New Phase of Imperialist Aggression

According to the WSWS article, the year 2025 marked a critical juncture. In June, the U.S. Congress passed a new “Operation Endurance Freedom‑2025” resolution, authorizing an expanded aerial campaign over Yemen’s interior. This move was justified by Washington’s claim of “neutralizing terrorist sanctuaries” but, the article argues, served a far more sinister purpose: re‑establishing American dominance over the Red Sea and reinforcing the supply of Saudi oil to global markets.

The article links to an earlier WSWS piece titled “The War on the West: U.S. Imperialism in the 21st Century” to illustrate how these actions fit into a pattern of U.S. interventions that have repeatedly targeted weaker states under the guise of “defending democracy.” It also cites the WSWS “Imperialist Wars in the 21st Century” analysis, which highlights the increasing frequency of U.S. military operations beyond its traditional theaters of war (e.g., Syria, Libya, and now Yemen).

3. Economic Motives: Oil, the Global Financial System, and Private Contractors

The article offers a nuanced critique of the economic underpinnings of the war. It describes how the United States, through its alliance with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, secured lucrative contracts with major oil firms such as Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, and BP. By keeping the oil fields open and ensuring uninterrupted shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Washington guaranteed profits for these trans‑national corporations. The piece points out that the war’s cost—estimated at $30 billion annually for the U.S.—is offset by the profits generated for both American and Saudi financiers, thereby reinforcing the notion that the conflict is an economic venture rather than a humanitarian crisis.

The WSWS article also highlights the role of private military contractors (PMCs) such as Blackwater and Wagner Group, who were reportedly recruited to support U.S. airstrikes and ground operations. The piece claims that these contractors provided “low‑cost, highly lethal” support while shielding the U.S. government from direct accountability.

4. Humanitarian Impact: Civilian Casualties and the Collapse of Yemen’s Health System

In the human‑rights dimension, the article is stark and uncompromising. It reports that, since 2014, more than 200,000 civilians have died in Yemen, with 4 million displaced internally and 2 million refugees in neighboring countries. By 2025, the conflict had destroyed an estimated 30 % of Yemen’s hospitals, laboratories, and water‑purification plants, according to WHO reports cited by the WSWS piece.

The article details the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure, with the U.S. reportedly providing intelligence that guided airstrikes on markets, schools, and hospitals. In a chilling example, a U.S.‑provided satellite image from March 2025 showed an airstrike on a crowded market in Taiz, killing at least 50 people. The article stresses that these operations were carried out under the pretext of “counter‑terrorism” but served to crush the local population’s ability to resist.

5. Global Repercussions: The Spread of Conflict and the International Response

The WSWS piece notes that the war’s spillover effects have not been limited to Yemen alone. The article reports that militant groups in Somalia and the Horn of Africa have increased recruitment efforts, citing U.S. presence as a rallying cry against Western “imperialist” forces. Moreover, the U.S. strategy in Yemen has drawn criticism from several United Nations bodies, including the Human Rights Council and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. However, the article argues that, due to Washington’s lobbying power in the UN Security Council, these condemnations have largely been ignored.

6. Conclusion: A Call for Solidarity and Anti‑Imperialist Action

In its closing remarks, the WSWS article urges workers worldwide to unite against the continuing U.S. imperialist war. It calls for a global boycott of oil companies involved in the conflict, the cessation of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the support of grassroots resistance movements in Yemen. The piece also reminds readers that the war in Yemen is just one chapter in the larger story of American and European imperialism, a narrative that will continue to shape global politics as long as the capitalist system persists.

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