It is an established fact that the Biden administration and its allies have always lacked the strategic vision to de-escalate seemingly intractable conflicts that have brewed in the Middle East for decades. Whether it is unwavering support to a Zionist genocidal regime against an occupied population or turning a blind eye to attacks on Iraq and Syria, both the United States and allies such as the United Kingdom are threatening Middle Eastern peace and contributing to an already pressing economic and security quagmire. 

No more is this evident than the latest attacks on Yemen with Tomahawk Cruise Missiles and fighter jets pounding sixteen sites including the port of Hodeidah and the capital Sanaa. The attacks underline the penchant for escalation and prolongation of conflicts on the part of the United States for narrow parochial interests. With reprisal attacks from the Ansar Allah in Yemen becoming inevitable, the Biden and Rishi Sunak administrations are dragging the region into a sustained and untenable security quandary. The ripple effects of such reckless adventurism, however, are not limited to security dynamics alone. 

The Red Sea crisis has exasperated the already fragile regional and economic situation with countries ranging from Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, and Jordan to Greece all being affected by trade disruptions given that 40% of trade between Asia and Europe passes through the Red Sea. According to the CEO of shipping giant Maersk, Vincent Clerc, trade from the Red Sea is bound to be several months away from returning to normal in 2024 with major disruptions in shipments of oil, grain exports, liquid natural gas, and food products. Such disruptions have a major impact on declining economies, many of which are reliant on basic supplies to sustain their populations. These disruptions also explain why shipping companies such as Maersk, Hapag Lloyd and MSC had initially opted to ground their operations due to tensions in Yemen in the Red Sea. 

The US and UK airstrikes in the Red Sea have only worsened the situation and provided a bleaker outlook for the immediate future. The aftershocks are apparent if one examines the immediate impact of the attacks. The European benchmark Brent crude oil, for example, jumped by more than 3% which went beyond the $80 per barrel that was previously witnessed on ICE Future Europe. Similarly, a 3% rise was witnessed in West Texas Intermediate to more than $75 per barrel. This clearly indicates that US and British apathy has resulted in staggering price shocks which ignores the impact on regional prosperity levels, revenue generation, and employment. 

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Then comes the humanitarian aspect of the attacks which cannot be ignored. In a joint statement, 26 Yemeni and international organizations including Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council expressed grave concern over the humanitarian impact of the recent military escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea. They further went on to state that humanitarian organizations have begun to feel the impact of the security threat in the Red Sea in the form of trade disruptions leading to higher prices and delays in the shipment of life-saving goods. Further escalation, it said, can prompt organizations to stop their operations in areas witnessing hostilities. 

This apathy towards the humanitarian situation becomes even more glaring if one considers the internal situation in Yemen. More than 75% of Yemen’s population depends on aid to survive and the collapse of the local currency alongside pernicious sanctions continues to have an impact on imports and trade with other countries.  False assurances from the United States on how the people of Yemen should not have to bear the consequences of Yemeni attacks, cannot detract from the truth that Yemen is being plunged into even greater crisis with widespread, poverty, destitution, and displacement. 

Ironically both the United States and the United Kingdom have justified their strikes on the premise of securing ‘freedom of trade and navigation.’ In truth, by targeting the Ansar Allah in Yemen, Washington D.C. and London are promoting greater instability by emboldening groups which averse to the West’s interference in Middle Eastern affairs and their unequivocal support to Israel. This constitutes a gross failure of American diplomacy given that such attacks are taking place in the absence of dialogue, diplomacy, and de-escalation. This is precisely why some of Washington D.C.’s traditional allies in the Middle East including Turkiye, Oman, and Saudi Arabia have been unequivocal in condemning the airstrikes. 

The Yemenis’ rationale is that strikes against carriers in the Red Sea will continue until the Israeli genocide in Gaza seizes. Once again, the lack of strategic wisdom on the part of Washington D.C. and London becomes evident if one takes due cognizance of the Biden administration’s approach towards Gaza. There has been no letup in the unwavering support to the Netanyahu regime and more than 24,000 Palestinians being dead demonstrates the complete failure of US diplomacy in the region. It took countries such as South Africa which have been a victim of apartheid, to take Israel to the International Court of Justice in the absence of American influence for any sense of accountability to take hold. 

The latest strikes against Ansar Allah in Yemen however, is compromising regional and economic security and have expanded the theatre of conflict in the Middle East beyond Gaza. The US and its Western allies are solely responsible for this quagmire in the Red Sea and beyond.