Doug Livermore
The Houthis’ anti-shipping activities in Yemen, including the use of mines, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and missile strikes, have significant implications for NATO countries.
The attacks not only threaten the security of maritime routes but also play a crucial role in the broader context of irregular warfare and strategic competition involving China, Russia, and Iran. Whereas NATO is a purely defensive alliance committed to the security and interests of its member states, these authoritarian states leverage the Houthis in Yemen to indirectly undermine the economic prosperity, freedom of navigation, and overarching security interests of the transatlantic alliance.
The alliance must therefore understand the threat posed by these Western-hostile proxies if they are to counter this concerning development.
The Houthis’ control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline positions them to disrupt one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This narrow passage connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. While it lies south of the Tropic of Cancer, and therefore outside NATO’s geographical limit, the alliance’s interest is unquestionable.
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