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“The U.S. and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday in Bahrain… Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, challenged the U.S.-created coalition on Tuesday, saying the Iranian-backed rebels would continue targeting Israel-linked vessels off Yemen…
“In the last four weeks, Houthi militants have attacked or seized commercial ships 12 times and still hold 25 members of the MV Galaxy Leader hostage in Yemen… The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined the new maritime security mission, Austin said. Some of those countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” AP News
The right calls for a military response to deter both the Houthis and Iran.
“Obviously, the Houthis believe that they either won’t pay a price, or a very limited one, for their brazen aggression. Who can say they are wrong? The Biden doctrine, whether it comes to arming Ukraine, responding to attacks on U.S. bases by Iranian proxies, or protecting shipping in the Red Sea, is to stop short of decisive action lest the other side escalates. So instead of malign actors fearing what we will do, we constrain ourselves out of fear of how they will respond to us…
“The navalist Jerry Hendrix wrote a piece in the Atlantic earlier this year in which he noted, ‘Because freedom of the seas, in our lifetime, has seemed like a default condition, it is easy to think of it — if we think of it at all — as akin to Earth’s rotation or the force of gravity: as just the way things are, rather than as a man-made construct that needs to be maintained and enforced.’ The title of the essay was, ‘The Age of American Naval Dominance is Over.’ The Biden administration shouldn’t act like it is trying to prove him right.”
Rich Lowry, National Review
“The Biden administration has sought to set up a multinational force to escort commercial traffic. But this is a purely defensive measure and therefore insufficient… It will not deter the land-based, mobile Houthis or their Iranian weapons suppliers. The administration has asked Houthis to stop their attacks and imposed limited sanctions. That, too, will not do much…
“Biden delisted the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization within a month of taking office in 2021. For starters, he should immediately redesignate them as such. And he should overcome any compunction within his team about striking the Houthis directly. But he should also think more broadly. Iran is incontrovertibly behind all these escalations, and it needs to receive a strong signal that its behavior is unacceptable. Washington must establish clear deterrence, including through using force. By imposing costs on Iran now, it will lessen the odds of more extensive escalation later.”
John R. Bolton, Washington Post
At the same time, “Biden should make clear that the U.S. will not protect ships in the Red Sea that are transporting goods to or from China… After all, just as the Houthis are now attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, Chinese maritime militia and coast guard vessels are simultaneously ramming Philippine vessels. Beijing is taking this action within the Philippines's exclusive economic zone because it makes grand imperialist claims over the near entirety of the South China Sea…
“The Philippines is a treaty defense ally of the U.S. Beijing is ultimately engaged in exactly the same action as the Houthis: attacking the rights of free navigation in international waters. In turn, it should be an absurd proposition for the U.S. to defend Chinese shipping interests.”
Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner
The left calls for greater international cooperation.
The left calls for greater international cooperation.
“[The Houthis] vowed to attack any ship headed to Israel… But figuring out where ships are going, or who owns them, isn’t always the easiest thing. Often, container ships fly so-called flags of convenience in order to avoid having to pay taxes or higher wages to their crew, and also disguise the true country of origin for the vessel. Perhaps because of that, the Houthis have been attacking more and more ships, including one Norwegian ship on Monday…
“Part of the problem goes back to those flags of convenience. [History professor Sal Mercogliano] likened the situation to the so-called Tanker Wars in the 1980s, when Iran and Iraq attacked more than 400 oil vessels in the region. Still, the U.S. didn’t intervene militarily until Kuwaiti ships flew the U.S. flag — which meant paying U.S. taxes. Now, Mercogliano said, the shipping companies want to get U.S. Navy protection while still being allowed to fly another country’s flag.”
Kevin T. Dugan, New York Magazine
“The West faces three options, all with serious downsides. First, reroute the shipping… While this is an acceptable option for a week or two, any longer and the disruption to global sea-based supply chains would be significant…
“Second, attack the missiles and drones at the source, either to eradicate the armaments or deter the attacks… Easily said but less easily achieved. It would not be too hard for Houthi forces to hide both themselves and a stockpile of drones and missiles from U.S. targeting…
“Third, widen the coalition. So far, Germany has not joined in, to some criticism but with good reason… Australia was asked to join but made the counterargument that its modest naval capacity is better deployed in the Western Pacific. Japan could contribute, especially since it has a base in Djibouti. Another potential contributor is China.”
Bruce Jones, Foreign Policy
Some argue, “Contrary to common assumptions, U.S. military presence across the Middle East increased over the past year, reaching a total of 45,000 troops… A large, seemingly enduring U.S. military presence gives Tehran justification to double down on its own military buildup and that of its proxies… The risks created by the sustained U.S. military presence in the Middle East can only be addressed by reducing that presence…
“Concerns that Iran might be emboldened by such moves are overblown. Facing domestic political and economic pressure, Iran has little to gain from starting a regional war, and has instead pursued diplomatic efforts with neighbors in recent months. And its malign meddling across the region, while certainly a concern, is best countered through intelligence cooperation, maritime and air defense partnerships with allies, and targeted sanctions.”
Frederic Wehrey and Jennifer Kavanagh, Los Angeles Times
