The Biden Administration’s efforts to prevent a regional war have failed
The Biden Administration’s Struggle to Prevent a Regional War
If the Biden administration has articulated one goal since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, it is to prevent the outbreak of a broader regional war. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a multi-country Middle East tour in early January to make what the Wall Street Journal characterized as a “full-court press” to stop the war in the Gaza Strip from metastasizing.
As with so many of this administration’s foreign policy initiatives, Iran had other ideas.
Its Houthi rebel proxies have been attacking U.S. military bases and disrupting commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea, injuring hundreds of American military personnel in the process. Over the weekend, American officials announced the deaths of two Navy SEALs in a daring raid on an Iranian weapons ship off the coast of Somalia. The ship was ferrying arms to the Houthis.
Suffice it to say, the regional war the administration sought to avoid is well underway, even if nobody is talking about it.
Like most wars, this one is exacting an economic toll: “The cost of shipping containers from China to the Mediterranean Sea has more than quadrupled,” according to Bloomberg, as ships ferrying consumer goods, “from clothing and toys to auto parts, are now adding two weeks to their routes to travel around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.”
What does Team Biden have to say about it? “We are clear-eyed about who the Houthis are, and their worldview,” a senior U.S. official told the Washington Post. Please. How clear-eyed could the administration that yanked the Houthis from the list of designated terrorist organizations be?
Any actual clear-eyed analysis would start and end with Iran, which has been waging a proxy war against the United States for decades. That includes during Barack Obama’s israel-will-not-allow-iran-to-obtain-a-nuclear-weapon/” title=”PM Netanyahu: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon”>nuclear deal, when Iran took the pallets of cash it received and poured the money into its terror proxies throughout the Middle East.
Now, as Iran wages a regional war, the Biden administration’s responses in Iraq and Yemen have been limited to the appendages of the Iranian hydra. To stem this conflict and prevent it from growing further, we must attack it straight on.
What actions can the Biden administration take to effectively address Iran’s support for the Houthi rebels and prevent a regional war?
The U.S. out of Afghanistan be? The Biden administration’s struggle to prevent a regional war is indicative of its broader foreign policy failures.
One of the main challenges the Biden administration faces in preventing a regional war is the aggressive actions of Iran and its proxies. The Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have been attacking U.S. military bases and disrupting commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea. These attacks have not only resulted in the injury of American military personnel but have also caused economic repercussions, with the cost of shipping containers from China to the Mediterranean Sea skyrocketing.
In an attempt to address the escalating situation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a multi-country Middle East tour, aiming to stop the war in the Gaza Strip from spreading further. However, the Biden administration’s efforts have been undermined by Iran’s continued support of the Houthis and their involvement in provocative actions.
The recent raid on an Iranian weapons ship off the coast of Somalia, which resulted in the deaths of two Navy SEALs, demonstrates the seriousness of the situation. The ship was ferrying arms to the Houthis, indicating Iran’s direct involvement in fueling the conflict. While the administration may not openly acknowledge it, the regional war they sought to prevent is already underway.
The economic consequences of the conflict are becoming increasingly evident. The disruption of commercial shipping routes and the increased cost of shipping are impacting global trade. The inflationary pressures caused by these disruptions are being felt by consumers and businesses alike. The Biden administration’s failure to effectively address Iran’s aggressive actions is not only endangering U.S. military personnel but also harming the global economy.
The lack of a coherent strategy and the failure to anticipate the consequences of withdrawing from Middle Eastern conflicts, such as Afghanistan, have undermined the Biden administration’s credibility and ability to prevent further regional unrest. The administration’s claim of being “clear-eyed” about the Houthis falls flat in the face of their failure to effectively deter Iran’s support for the rebels.
If the Biden administration truly wants to prevent a regional war and safeguard American interests, it must adopt a more assertive and comprehensive approach towards Iran and its proxies. This includes strengthening alliances in the region, imposing targeted sanctions on individuals and entities involved in supporting the Houthis, and conducting robust diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of the conflict.
Time is of the essence, and the Biden administration must act swiftly and decisively to prevent further escalation. The consequences of a full-blown regional war would be catastrophic, both in terms of human lives and global stability. Failure to effectively address this challenge will only contribute to the administration’s growing list of foreign policy failures and undermine the trust and confidence of both domestic and international stakeholders.
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