International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Choke Point of Power: The Red Sea Crisis and Extension of Geopolitical Rivalries

When referring to international trading routes, the Suez Canal is the most commonly heard answer around the world from laymens, however, it is only one of the four critical maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Bab el-Mandeb is at present, one of the most critical passageways for commercial shipping along with attracting attention for being infested with some of the most explosive actors in the world, being entangled in current geopolitical tensions while also suffering from extensive political turmoil and regional instability. This study dives deeper into the armament of these waters, the interplay of Yemen’s militia movement with Iran’s Axis of Resistance and the role it plays in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The newly ‘liberated’ Syria, along with the weakening of Hezbollah and Hamas, in the wake of Israel’s brutal offensive strikes, have all contributed in one way or another to the further strengthening of control the Houthis have over the international waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. This paper also sheds light on the covert role the United States is playing in the region, which has substantially affected the global trade flow and led to a clandestine shift in economic trade deals of various Asian countries. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that the regional players realise the importance of these waters for the international community, which forms part of the reason for this increasingly hostile environment for control, which is not just becoming progressively more expensive for the militaries of the states involved, but also for intercontinental shipping companies, who depend of these maritime passages for the smooth exchange of commodities. This clamors for greater stable jurisdiction of key trade routes, and the stricter applying of international conventions such as UNCLOS and the DCoC on these regions. Keywords - Axis of Resistance, Houthis, Horn of Africa, Global trade, United States of America.