Category: Middle east

The Russian attacks on Ukraine are terrible. But I must ask the question. Why the extensive reporting on Ukraine but little or nothing on the continuing conflicts in Yemen and Syria?

First, Yemen. The war in Yemen persists between the Houthi tribes and the Hadi government, the latter backed by the Saudis and the US. The UN estimates the death toll of the war at 377,000, of which 70% are children. I’ve made many visits to Yemen: the cities, the mountain villages, the hospitals. Even before the war, I saw little babies with severe malnutrition, unimmunized and vulnerable. They were a setup for these numbers. I still communicate with a friend there.

Next Syria. By UN estimates the death toll of the 10-year war is 350,000-500,000. The chief malefactors are the Assad administrations and the Russians. I’ve not been to Syria, which was in a stronger economic echelon than Yemen, but I get the idea.

Now Ukraine. I’ve been to Ukraine twice. The first time was a medical mission trip to the southern part of the country. I saw the Potemkin Steps in Odessa, had drinks with friends in a little town on the Black Sea, and did neurology consults in a little clinic. On the second occasion, I visited Kyiv in 2013, just before the civil unrest that resulted in the ouster of the pro-Russian President Yanukovych. I was there to give a series of lectures on stem cells. The highlight was a visit to the old opera house and the wonderful Ukrainian opera, Natalka Poltavka. The US news has presented day-after-day of shocking reports of the Russian invasion. The numbers of Ukrainians killed in the invasion is still unknown. Will the numbers rival those from Yemen and Syria?

I must ask the question. Why the difference in the amount of reporting about each of these tragic conflicts? We see Ukraine daily. Yemen and Syria continue as back page news. The fact is that all three wars are appalling. Do you think our differences in reporting the news of each has anything to do with the skin color?