Is the confrontation around Bab al-Mandeb fundamentally a Yemeni civil war, a Saudi-Yemeni conflict, or a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia? The answer is increasingly all three, but none alone explains the stakes. What began as a struggle over power and territory in Yemen has become a test of regional security, freedom of navigation and the emerging balance ...
To understand what is at stake in Bab-al-Mandeb, we first need to understand the impact of the situation on global trade. World seaborne trade Today, approximately 90% of the world’s trade is conducted by sea. Alfred Mahan, the renowned strategist considered the father of naval dominance theory, likened seas to highways. Seas are the widest and uninterrupted highways on the ...