The Perspectives page of The Blue and White offers students and staff an opportunity to express their thoughts about topics that affect our school, our community, or the world at large. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Apopka High School or The Blue and White.
The following editorial was contributed by Junior Olivia Horn:
On January 11th, news came out that America as well as the UK had launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen under the approval of President Biden. These attacks were supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. 28 locations were hit, and since then, America has launched eight attacks in total during the time this article is being written.
The attacks were a response to the Houthi rebel group, who took control of Yemen in 2014-2015. Since November of 2023, the Houthis have made more than 25 attacks on international commercial vessels located in the Red Sea. These commercial vessels are significant to our trade, with around 12% of all international trade passing through the Red Sea. So far, America has only struck Houthi-controlled sites. According to AP News, the strikes were “conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.”
The reason these attacks are as controversial as they are is because they are an extension of the Israeli-Palestine war. The Houthis have been specifically attacking all ships stopping at Israeli ports. As many of us know, a decent number of people in America are not happy with the government’s decision to support Israel in the first place, and these attacks are just fueling the flames. Many have taken to protesting the bombing in Yemen in support of Palestine. While I don’t have any problems with this, in general, I believe people need to do more research about the subject before jumping on the bandwagon. For one, the Houthis are not necessarily in support of Palestine, regardless of what it looks like. Rather, they are pro-Hamas, which is a completely different thing.
I should, however, include that the people of Yemen are indeed in support of Palestine. After the bombings, Yemenis gathered to protest America’s actions. Unfortunately, this only brings popularity and attention to the Houthi group. Philbrick Yadav, an Associate Professor of International Relations at Hobart and William Smith Colleges said, “This is a way in which the Houthis can try to expand their appeal to Yemenis who don’t support their domestic political project.” It looks like the Yemenis’ support of Palestine is a double-edged sword.
Although I can go further into the complexities of the war, it’s more important to focus on the attacks themselves, and why they’re causing such outrage amongst the public. To begin with, the strikes were not approved by Congress, so many are questioning whether President Biden’s actions were constitutional or not. However, he claims that the attacks were not an act of war, rather they were an action of defense. Furthermore, the Pentagon shared that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the one who ordered the attacks. It was a decision made around 24 hours after a UN meeting had condemned previous Houthi attacks. America’s retaliation was not a way to start a war with Yemen. Rather, these strikes were more to deter further Houthi attacks.
The New York Times reports, “Yemen’s Houthi militia, shaped by years of civil war, says that it welcomes a battle with the United States and that strikes will not stop its Red Sea attacks.” On the other hand, President Biden said, “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies.” Both sides are adamant about not backing down, but a recent interview with President Biden gave mixed results concerning the effectiveness of the strikes. When asked if the attacks were working to stop the Houthis, he responded by saying, “Well when you say working, are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.” With the Houthis refusing to back down, it begs the question of how successful the attacks were, and it’s leaning more towards not much. I have no doubt America is bound to be drawn further into the mess.
To wrap it up, this is a complex situation that has many, such as I, feeling very torn on this matter. I understand Biden’s rationale for deciding to bomb Yemen. However, since they have proven to be ineffective in stopping further Houthi attacks, which was ultimately the goal, I can’t say it was worth it in the end. Though it was inevitable for the US to become involved with the war, I believe we should prioritize minimizing as much conflict as we can going further. These attacks, however, only make matters more difficult and it’s hard to say how much this will affect the US. I don’t believe either side is looking to start a full-on war, but President Biden’s decision will put America in a rough spot.
