Red sea and Houthi rebels: Red sea which is the most important maritime route in the present time. And has one of the most saline water in the world. It is bordered by countries like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Djibouti and Sudan.
Table of Contents
Red sea and Houthi rebels
In respect to the Indian ocean it is connected through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. It is an important trade route that connects Europe to Asia through the Suez canal. It is also a tourist destination for various recreational activities like diving.
And it is also important because of the resources which it stores within itself like phosphates of Sulphur, petroleum deposits etc. It is also famous for its biodiversity and Rick flora and fauna like coral reefs, turtles, dolphins and many more.
But right now it is in the news because of a depressing reason and has become the headline of the international level. And the issue would really affect the global maritime for sure as the red sea is the major route for the maritime trade in the world.
Houthi Rebels
Now let’s talk about the issue which has made it to the headlines at the global stage.
The news is regarding the attacks by the Houthi rebels on the vessels in the Red sea. The Houthis have been targeting Israeli vessels to show their support for Palestinian’s cause. They are supporting Palestine in the Israel Palestine war and in that response they are attacking Israel vessels although the US has alleged Houthi rebels of targeting other vessels too.
In retaliation US has shot down Houthi drones the US administration has initiated a 10 nation naval task force in which they have established Operation Prosperity Guardian which is focused on bringing together various countries like France, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Bahrain, Canada and Spain to fight Bach the Houthis to ensure freedom and security in the Red sea and to protect the trading routes.
After getting some idea of the current issue now we should try to understand who are Houthis and why they are doing so. So for this we need to dive into the history of Houthis and know about Yemen most importantly.
Yemen is a middle east country which shares its border in the north with Saudi Arabia, Oman in the east , Red sea in the west and Gulf of Aden and the Arabian sea forms the south border. Yemen is basically a country divided into 6 provinces and has been ruled by the Yemen government which is of Sunni sect.
And Yemen was one of the countries which was affected by the Arab spring – It was a series of pro democratic protests against the Muslim countries which were being controlled by autocratic rulers and these countries were Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and many more. Although in some countries it was successful, in many countries it was not . And this spring had no effect on Yemen but there was conflict between the Government and the military. The president of the country Ali Abdhullah Saleh and the military chief Mohsen AL Ahmar were in conflict with each other for the acquisition of power. Saleh was supported by Saudi Arabia and Ahmar by Iran and these two countries are the major enemies in the Middle east region. And after some time the conflict led to Civil War in the country. And this conflict led to the increased influence of Houthis in the northern region of Yemen which reminds us of the story of two monkeys and one cat in which the two monkeys continue fighting and the cat gets benefited by their fight. And AL Qaeda’s influence also increased in the southeastern region. The Houthis which were of Sunni sect started occupying and influencing the masses in northern Yemen. And made their grip there and it was supported by Iran in opposition to the Yemen Government which was being supported by Saudi Arabia. Due to the weak military now the conflict was between the Houthis and the Yemen government.
The Saudi Arabia government was now focused on limiting the influence of Houthis in Yemen as it was helped by Iran, its greatest enemy. And in the result of this, the Operation Decisive storm took place in which Saudi Arabia attacked and did bombardment on Yemen which led to the Yemen war. And also initiated the Proxy war in which the Yemen government was backed by 10 countries- Saudi Arabia, Jordan , Sudan, US , UK, France, Morocco, Senegal etc.) and the Houthis by Iran. And the bombing led to Civil casualties in the Houthi dominant areas, schools, hospitals were severely damaged and for this the US was criticized but paid no heed because it had its own reasons for that. And till now the state of Yemen is under the after effects of this war . But the influence of Houthis has increased considerably in the region and AL Qaeda is also functioning there.
US’s role in Yemen
As we know, the US is the top arm’s exporter in the world and accounts for around 33% of worldwide exports. And provides 40% of the middle east weapons. And in this Saudi Arabia is on the top list of importing weapons from the US. Therefore the US is supporting Saudi Arabia in this war.
The next reason is the Iran Nuclear Deal in which it had asked for nuclear disarmament and nuclear Programs by Iran to stop its influence in the Middle East and give way to Saudi Arabia.
And one more reason is the increase in the influence of AL Qaeda in Yemen which the US doesn’t want to tolerate.
And the Red Sea is one of the assets of the US through which it wants to reap the benefits and its vested interests like economic profits, security, defense exercises, diplomatic relations etc.
And therefore these are some of the main reasons for which the US is in the forefront in the issue of Houthis and Yemen from the past and in the present too. And in the present , the US wants to control these groups to benefit itself and to support its allies.
Now let’s talk about the influence of this issue on India and how it would affect India.
Influence on India
The attacks on the vessels in the Red sea have paved the way for economic crises in the world and India is also the one to be affected by this. And therefore attacks would have direct implications on the Indian economy. As the news aired that there had been an attack on the cargo ships that were heading towards India and therefore made the situation worse. As all these attacks would definitely affect our exports and imports. And the repeated attacks would lead to the shifting of route via cape of good hope which would make it more expensive for countries.
Due to this conflict oil prices are also rising which is definitely a red sign as due to the Russia Ukraine war a lot of damage has been done to the economy of the world.
Another concern is in regard to the exports to European countries and the US, as it would make our exports expensive and the export of basmati rice would be the most affected due to this disturbance. But one positive sign has been that The Houthi rebels are not attacking Russian ships from where we get our oil supplies and this is because Russia is an ally of Iran and Iran is supporting the Houthis. But the major effect would be in the case of the European Union as it is the second largest destination of Indian exports and these attacks have raised the freight rate which would reduce the trade and would affect us financially. This conflict would definitely lead to inflationary pressures in the country and would also lead to scarcity of goods in the country. And the red sea which accounts for around 11% of the world’s maritime trade would surely have negative effects If not solved soon. All these attacks are forcing vessels to take longer routes through Africa and are not being able to use the Suez canal through which 12 %of the world trade takes place and is one of the most important connecting routes between Asia and Europe.
Conclusion
The situation which has arisen in the Red sea is definitely a stressful situation and of great concern. Because of the maritime trade which takes place through the region.
But there are various reasons which have led to such a situation . The foremost is the strategic importance of Yemen as the red sea is bordered by Yemen in the south which gives it an upper edge and as Houthis are concentrated in these areas near the red sea so they are able to control it.
Another reason is in context to the Israel Palestine war in which The Houthis are supporting Palestine and therefore they started attacking Israeli ships to show their support. The division of the world into two groups has widened in the conflict as countries like Russia and Iran are supporting the Houthis for their actions whereas Britain, Us are fighting against it. And one more reason is related to world power. In which the US is trying every possible way to maintain its position in opposition to the growing influence of China. So all these factors are escalating the issue. But the issue needs careful handling to not damage the world trade which has already been affected by the Ukraine -Russia war. We need to be careful but that’s not always the case in geopolitics in the present time.
FAQ- Red sea and houthi rebels
What are the bordering countries of the Red sea?
Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti.
Who are Houthis?
Houthics Is a group of Shia sect which is concentrated in the northern and South western areas of Yemen.
