Washington is abuzz about the data breach over President Donald Trump’s decision to escalate the war against the Houthis in Yemen. While protecting sensitive information is important, the issue that deserves even more attention is the wrongheadedness of the war itself.
Trump escalated attacks to, as he put it, protect U.S. shipping and “annihilate” the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The strikes go far beyond any by former President Joe Biden against the Houthis. Apparently there’s more on the way. A new carrier is heading to the Red Sea and U.S. Central Command has called the recent attacks the “beginning of a large-scale offensive across Yemen.”
Let’s hope Trump stops while he (and the rest of us) are still ahead. Further escalation could lead to a major war and that wouldn’t be worth it. Better to defuse the crisis without using force.
The costs and benefits to U.S. national security of escalation in the Red Sea don’t add up. On the benefits side, only about 12% of U.S.-bound shipping traditionally goes through the Red Sea — as high-level Trump administration officials acknowledged in a group chat, the route impacts Europe far more than it does the United States. U.S. commercial vessels have all but quit passaging through due to the violence there. Decreased shipping costs of late are also reducing inflationary pressures from disruptions to Red Sea shipping. All told, the United States has little at stake there, meaning Trump’s escalation makes little sense.
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Events on Yemen
