US President Joe Biden has pledged to end US support for the war in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition that includes the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose Western-bought weapons have been spotted in the hands of Yemeni militias, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Barely an hour before Biden was sworn into office, the outgoing Trump administration signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to sell the Persian Gulf country 50 of its Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters.
The possibility it might be able to buy the advanced fighter jet was a major part of Washington convincing Abu Dhabi to a historic rapprochement with israel last September. israel is presently the only Middle East nation that operates the F-35 and maintaining Israel's strategic superiority to other nations is a key part of US policy.
However, critics accused the Trump administration of rushing the deal after the State Department gave its approval in early November. After Democratic lawmakers mounted a failed bid to block the sale, the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs announced a lawsuit against the State Department, saying the deal contained no provision to stop the UAE from sharing the F-35's proprietary information with other nations.
The incoming Biden administration still has the ability to undo the last-minute deal, and during the transition period Biden's team made clear their hostility to the slew of attempted “midnight rules” the Trump administration…
