American magazine: Western leaders must confront the consequences of their gross misjudgment of Houthi terrorism.

The American magazine Commentary warned that the Houthi threat to resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea portends a chaotic world, noting that it is time to stop playing games with the Houthis. It also noted that the Trump administration now faces the same choice that confounded Joe Biden regarding ending the Houthi threat to the global economy.

According to an article by Seth Mandel, translated by Yemen Youth Net, “The Iranian-backed Yemeni military junta claims two things: that it will only attack Israeli ships, and that it is doing so in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. But both are false. In reality, every ship will be vulnerable to attack, and the Houthis are experimenting with a model of 21st-century piracy that, if successful, will become permanent and likely to be imitated by others, throwing the global economy (and global security) into turmoil for which it was unprepared.”

The author emphasized that the Houthis can and must be stopped, but that this requires Western leaders to confront the consequences of their gross misjudgment of the Houthi threat. He argued that the Houthis' popular base in Western progressive circles should be seen for what they are: promoters of economic terrorism that, if left unchecked, will unleash a cascade of death and destruction in the region and beyond.

In other words, the author says, it's time to stop playing games with the Houthis. He considers the claim that the Houthis' actions are merely an additional "resistance" in Gaza, and therefore do not pose any broader threat, to be a big lie.

He added: To understand the full extent of this lie, it is worth reviewing the extensive damage caused by Houthi "terrorism" in the Red Sea, the benefits it has accrued to the Houthis themselves, and what each tells us about the future uses of these tactics.

The New York Times reported in December that "the shipping industry has returned to the days before the Suez Canal opened in 1869." Shipping companies have collectively rerouted their fleets around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 3,500 nautical miles and 10 days to most journeys. Before the Houthis began their attacks, the Suez Canal handled 10% of global trade.

The result: Shipping costs have risen, in some cases, by nearly 400%. Bloomberg reported last summer that "from just $1,660 at the end of last year, transporting a 40-foot steel box now costs nearly $6,000." It added, "Other sectors are also affected, as many crude oil tankers find new ways to transport the fuel."

In January, The Economist estimated that "freight shipments through the Red Sea have fallen by 70% in volume" and that increased costs for shipping companies—which raise the cost of transported goods to consumers—are estimated at around $175 billion annually.

According to the author, there is, of course, another way to circumvent this threat: bribing the Houthis. The group has a payment system designed to work almost like E-ZPass , but for piracy of the Suez Canal. These payments are, of course, illegal, so Western companies cannot make them; it would be easy to track those who suddenly began passing through the shipping lanes unharmed.

Protection funds generate up to $2 billion annually for the Houthis, and the missiles and drones they use to carry out this plan are decreasing in price year after year.

This, in other words, is a plan of action. The Houthis could probably survive on their own, even if Iranian patronage were to disappear. As The Economist points out, "By pressuring shipowners, they earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year—even billions—while imposing costs on the world in the hundreds of billions. Rather than remaining silent during a ceasefire in Gaza, the Houthis could be the harbingers of an anarchic world without rules or police."

The author concludes by saying that the Trump administration now faces the same choice that vexed Joe Biden regarding ending the Houthi threat to the global economy. The stakes are higher than many realize, given the consequences of creating a modern and effective model of piracy that could be emulated by other terrorist groups. In fact, the risks are high enough to make putting an end to the Houthis the obvious choice, and allowing it to continue would be inexplicable and untenable.