US must ‘super escalate’ to end the standoff in the Red Sea

The Houthis, one of multiple Iranian proxy groups operating in the Middle East, have been wreaking havoc on merchant vessels in the Red Sea for more than two months. Given that nearly 25% of the world’s maritime-traded goods must pass through these waters to get to market, the impact of the attacks on the international shipping industry cannot be overstated. Left unchecked, the situation has the potential to upend the global economy. The West needs to show some spine and end the standoff immediately.

Although I applaud the recent U.S. strikes on targets in Yemen, they clearly haven’t deterred the Houthis, who responded by targeting two U.S.-owned ships and have vowed to continue their campaign of terrorism.