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While it is astounding that one small, feisty Arab tribe in the nation of Yemen has shown the mega-world how to creatively stand up to the Hegemon without threatening nuclear weapons, without initiating direct military conflict and yet achieve their goals – what is even more astounding is that the Houthis are not the least intimidated by the Empire’s pretentious display of empty threats and waning power.
As a 28-year-old country and being the poorest of all nations in the Middle East has not stopped the Houthis from exercise of their principles as equal participants on the global stage.
Even as the Ukraine war grinds to a reluctant halt with Zelensky and the US refusing to call it quits, continued funding going for naught in someone’s pocket, the US preps for military expansion in the Middle East. The Israeli-Gaza war mutates into another military adventure for an additional wasteful expenditure of resources and lives.
It is fair to say that the Houthis have the Hegemon neo-con militarists over a barrel with nowhere to go unless WW III is a valid objective. If the US with its feeble-minded Congress and equally anemic foreign policy apparatus believe they are still to be feared, the Houthis have called their bluff.
From mid-November when the Ansarullah launched their first drone, the world has followed their heroic deeds to protect the Moustazafeen (oppressed ones) of planet Earth. It may be that the Houthis own experience at the hands of the Empire has sensitized and empowered them to the Hegemon-initiated suffering they have endured.
Those Houthis are unique individuals as it appears they get their dander up when they experience raw genocide conducted against a defenseless civilian population which has now suffered 20,000 fatalities, gratis US bombs and missiles.
Drone attacks were conducted through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a 20-mile wide narrow passageway leading from the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea and up to the Suez Canal which has now, in effect, closed down. It is that Strait which controls 30% of the world’s shipping.
Houthi boardings on cargo ships have been unexpectedly effective as five of the largest international shipping lines chose to ‘pause’ their operations as the Houthis forced shipping to find an alternative route around Africa.
The Israel goal has shifted from destroying Hamas since it is now recognized that strategy was never realistic. Israel has instead focused on the extermination of Palestinians from their indigenous home, incurring a full range of war crimes.
Disrupting the supply chain of shipments headed for the psychotic Israel is nothing short of genius strategy as it goes to the heart of what the Zionists value most; it took the Houthis to recognize the vulnerability of international trade on its way to Israel to brazenly intercept tankers and oilers exhibiting more chutzpah than seen among many other more well-heeled Islamic nations.
As if Israel and its patron, had not enough to worry about, Malaysia, another small chink in the chain, has joined the fray as it has closed all its ports to Israel traffic.
Literally landing on-board a specific liner in question via a helicopter drop, the Houthis displayed a courage rarely seen in maritime encounters against the Empire as Jordan, the UAE and the Saudis may be quivering in their sandals at the thought.
Even US Secretary of Defense Austin’s haughty promise to “jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity” has fallen on deaf ears. “The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.”
Spokesman for the Houthi rebels replied,
“Even if America succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our operations in the Red Sea will not stop unless the massacre in Gaza stops. We will not give up the responsibility of defending the Moustazafeen (oppressed ones) of the Earth.”
Well, stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
Meanwhile the USS Eisenhower remains floating idly in the tropical waters of the Red Sea without any sign of retaliation against the Houthis who could be expected to respond with an armed, under water drone to take out one US bazillion dollar floating bathtub.
As the Israel-Gaza conflict becomes more intense along the Lebanon border with Hezbollah adopting a more aggressive response, it is no coincidence that Yemen has been bombed since 2014, sanctioned by the US since 2012 and at war with its Saudi neighbors (with US weapons) in 2015, all of which failed as the Houthi’s refused to succumb to the Hegemon.
With a sitting duck flotilla of US Navy’s Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US has pushed the panic button with creation of an unimpressive ten member maritime coalition (including Bahrain — home to the US Fifth Fleet and member of the limp-noodle Abraham Accords), Canada sent three staff officers and the UK sent one rusted-out tin can to patrol the Red Sea in a futile effort to stop underwater armed drones.
To date, the US/UK have shot down a dozen drones as if to challenge Houthi’s authority in international waters as the US remains in a self delusional world. The Houthis shot down a $30 million American MQ-9 Ripper unmanned aerial vehicle since it “engaged in hostile surveillance and espionage activities in the airspace of Yemeni territorial waters.”
Suddenly, creation of a Palestinian state is now on the table even as the US will remain the largest block of resistance despite the election of Trump who, as a Zionist, will dance to Israel’s tune.
Never one to miss an opportunity to blame Iran for any military aggressive behavior, the US accused Iran of being “deeply involved’ with the Houthis as if US motives are pure as the driven snow.
As if the US’ highest priority is to continue confrontational relations with every country in the world which denies its status as Empire, there is no serious strategy on dealing with a principled opponent except more violence and hatred. The Houthis continue to make fools of the multi-billion dollar US Navy.
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Renee Parsons served on the ACLU’s Florida State Board of Directors and as president of the ACLU Treasure Coast Chapter. She has been an elected public official in Colorado, staff in the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, an environmental lobbyist for Friends of the Earth and a staff member of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC.
She is a regular contributor to Global Research.
Featured image is from InfoBrics
