Recently, the Red Sea, the world's main maritime route, has touched the nerves of the international community. With Yemen's Houthi attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, Yemen's Houthi forces have become the hardest hit area by the risk of spillover from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
As one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, a peaceful, stable and secure Red Sea is in the common interest of the international community. Today, tensions in the Red Sea are worrying the world. Yemen's Houthi intervention in the regional conflict has forced some multinational shipping companies to suspend navigation in the Red Sea, avoid the Suez Canal route, and bypass the Cape of Good Hope at the southwest tip of Africa, which has brought about a sharp increase in shipping costs, an increase in commodity **, and an impact on the international ** chain. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have led to a spike in the cost of container transportation, according to **.
In response to the current situation in the Red Sea, the United States announced that it would lead the formation of a multinational escort force to protect ships passing through the Red Sea from Houthi attacks. When U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin visited Bahrain on the 18th local time, he announced the Red Sea escort operation codenamed "Prosperity Guardian", and the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join this alliance.
But can this multinational escort force really deter the Houthis and achieve lasting peace and security in the Red Sea?As a matter of fact, the multinational escort force is not monolithic, with different components and different interests and demands, and it may be difficult to form a strong joint force. It is worth noting that among the countries that have agreed to join the multinational escort force, Bahrain is the only Middle Eastern country, reflecting the reservations of the countries in the Middle East about the formation of an escort alliance, and the deep differences between the Arab countries and the United States in their attitudes toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Regarding the formation of a multinational maritime escort force by the United States, Yemen's Houthi rebels chose to-for-tat and issued a statement on December 19 local time, criticizing the US-led maritime coalition for violating international law and threatening to "target all ships from countries targeting the organization." Therefore, the involvement of multinational escort forces in the Red Sea situation may bring more uncertainties to the Red Sea and make the situation in the Red Sea more complex and dangerous.
The Red Sea is in turmoil, and the world is uneasyHow to solve the Red Sea Rebellion?Will it be solved by force or at its roots?Practice has shown that a solution by force will only make the problem more complex and intractable, and that lasting peace and security can be achieved only by addressing the root causes of the Red Sea problem.
Whoever started the trouble should end it. At present, the root cause of tension in the region, including in the Red Sea, lies in the stubborn support of the United States for Israel's policy of violence. The fundamental way to ensure peace and stability in the Red Sea lies in promoting a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and putting the Palestinian-Israeli issue back on the track of a political settlement. Only in this way can the Red Sea become a sea of peace.