President Joe Biden’s military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen have not worked, according to Biden himself. Yet he insists they will continue. Biden took military action against the Houthis together with the United Kingdom to “restore America’s deterrence” and to prevent the Yemeni military group from attacking ships in the Red Sea. But rather than pacifying tensions in the Red Sea, the military strikes have inflamed them further.
Does this dangerous escalation risk bringing the US into a wider war in the region? Are the Houthis likely to back down, and if not, does Biden have an exit plan to prevent dragging the U.S. into yet another war in the Middle East? Could a ceasefire in Gaza have prevented this escalation, or are the Houthis driven by other interests, including their own political ambitions? If a Gaza ceasefire can temper the tensions in the Red Sea, why is the Biden administration so reluctant to consider this diplomatic option?
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