Now, the Houthi Movement, an active Yemen-based Shīʿite rebel group, has started creating troubles for the global community in the Red Sea. The Houthis began their offensive in this region in October 2023 after the Palestinian Hamas Movement launched a terrorist attack on Israel. They backed Hamas, declaring that they would target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea. The Houthis have since launched drone and missile attacks on commercial ships of different countries (including India) traveling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. Even ships that are not heading to Israel have been attacked by the Yemeni rebel group.

The Houthis currently control much of the northern region of Yemen, including the Red Sea coast. Furthermore, this outfit has been playing an important role in the Civil War in Yemen for almost a decade. The Houthis are basically a part of Iran-backed Axis of Resistance, an alliance that is fighting against Israel and its Western allies. Along with Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, they have launched attacks on Israel in recent times. Analysts are of the opinion that the Houthi offensive in the Red Sea might turn the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas into a wider regional conflict in the coming days.

As expected, these Houthi activities disrupt global trade through the Red Sea and adjacent areas. It may be noted that the Red Sea connects the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Ahead of the opening of the canal in 1969, commercial ships had to travel between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. With the construction of the Suez Canal, the distance was greatly reduced, and commercial companies were able to save both money and time. At present, around 12% of the total global trade is being transported annually through the Suez Canal. Also, nearly 30% of the world’s total containers pass through this canal.

The Houthi attacks have prompted many merchant ships to divert to other waterways, particularly the Cape of Good Hope. Hence, the cost of transportation, as well as the insurance cost of ships, has increased manifold. If such a situation prolongs, then it would have a negative impact on maritime trade. Experts have opined that there shall be a hike in crude oil prices. The new crisis in global trade has become a cause for concern for a number of countries, especially after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The US recently announced the formation of a new international naval group, named Operation Prosperity Garden, in this particular region in order to tackle the Houthis. Washington DC also announced that Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Norway and some other countries would be the members of the proposed group. Since Yemen is an Arab State, other Arab nations would not want to attack the country located in the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Some countries are unwilling to join this war, as they do not want to project themselves as friends of Israel. Others are keen to distance themselves from a larger regional conflict involving Iran.

One would have to wait to see how the Houthi offensive would affect regional geopolitics in 2024.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das