Houthis flummox US
Yemen’s defiant Houthi rebels are disrupting global shipping and putting a major dent in the United States’ image as the all-powerful global hegemon.
The recent escalation of hostilities in the Red Sea between the United States and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Ansar Allah (Houthi) rebel militia has not only provoked price hikes, but has also affected Washington’s reputation as the regional hegemon and guarantor of international shipping rights and freedom of navigation. Since November, the Houthis have used more than 200 drones and 50 ballistic and cruise missiles to mount attacks on Israeli vessels and other ships serving Israeli ports in the Red Sea, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) leader said on Thursday. The situation has impacted global supply chains, with at least 2,400 ships diverting their routes, as they headed to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, according to the Israeli news portal Calcalist.
As the intensified attacks by the US and UK-led Western coalition on Houthi targets in Yemen have failed to produce the desired results, the Houthis are now targeting their missiles and drones against British and US commercial vessels.
The administration of US President Joe Biden pinned large hopes on resolving the situation in Yemen and achieving peace in the Middle East, but due to the aggravation with the Houthis, the US now finds itself trapped with room for manoeuvre sharply narrowing. “The Houthis will play the role of an irritating factor against the backdrop of the commencing [presidential] election race in the United States, and the [incumbent] Democrats’ policy failure in Yemen will cost them greatly. Reducing tensions in the region would require resolving the situation around the war in the Gaza Strip, where the White House [is not simply an innocent bystander that is powerless to affect the situation],” one expert maintains.
Washington is even seeking Beijing’s help in resolving the situation in the Red Sea. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that the Biden administration asked Beijing to call on Tehran to rein in the Iran-backed Houthis. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior US officials have raised the issue with their counterparts in the past few months, but diplomatic pressure on Beijing has not brought results.
Washington’s plea to China to influence the Houthis via Tehran is an outward sign of high-level confusion behind the scenes in Washington. Washington has gotten used to the idea of controlling everything, but there is a small nation here that has nothing to lose, and they refuse to obey [US] commands. The Americans are simply stumped [as to how to proceed].
