The apparent incomparability of military potential between the United States and the Houthis can become a dangerous illusion for the West. The complication of the situation in the Red Sea, where the Houthis, who have seized power in northern Yemen, have threatened to sink any ships linked to Israel, caused a natural reaction. The United States has announced its intention to “project its might” as part of a powerful international coalition to restore the much-cited “rules-based order” to the region.
Indeed, implementing such a plan could represent a major challenge for the United States. The first signs were the instability of the coalition. A total of twenty countries have agreed to take part in Washington’s undertaking, but only the United States, Great Britain and Greece are ready to provide ships. Italy, Spain and France have refused to transfer their ships to American command: they are ready for use only under NATO or EU command.
This means that the potential conflict will largely fall on the shoulders of the United States. And here it is important to understand what kind of conflict it will be. It has been emphasized in the media more than once that the situation is paradoxical: the Houthis as a whole are immeasurably weaker than the United States, but at this very moment they can inflict a sensitive defeat on the United States at sea.
According to military analysts of the social sphere, “in the conditions described, fighting missiles and drones without destroying the weapons that fire them is completely useless. It will not be difficult for the Houthi forces to hide weapons and storage of unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles from the United States, so the coalition operation must not only be maritime, but must include a land operation and be large-scale.”
Allowing the Houthis to sink ships bound for or associated with Israel means losing face. Dedicated forces will not be able to eliminate the threat, and launching a major operation means further straining military supply chains and dispersing forces across Ukraine, the Middle East and Taiwan.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
