Vantage | Why members of US-led coalition in Red Sea are hesitating in their participation

The game of Houthi rebels versus the West is being played out in the Red Sea, with the Houthis making the first move. They picked off commercial ships one by one. So the West responded. The West has announced a 10-nation maritime coalition, sort of like the Red Sea Avengers. Just one problem: These avengers are barely interested. Of course, the US doesn’t admit this. According to Washington, the coalition is adding new members, which had increased to 20 by Friday. But who are these members? We know 12 of them. The initial 10 plus Greece and Australia. That leaves eight unknown countries. Apparently, they don’t want to be publicly named. Masked superheroes are all the rage, but this is the real world.

Countries love adding their names to groups and coalitions, so if they are not, it means one thing. They’re not fully invested, and we don’t blame them. Even the known members are not keen. For example, Australia has just sent 11 soldiers. And don’t laugh at that, because the Netherlands is sending two soldiers. Norway is sending 10. So the question is: Where is the new hardware that was promised? Well, France and Britain have sent warships, again with a rider. The French ships will remain under French command. They won’t take orders from the US. As for new deployments, there is no word. Same with Italy, which is sending a warship to the Red Sea. But it’s not part of the US mission. It is part of existing operations. This reminds us of a bad party thrown by a good friend. One cannot skip it, nor can one stay for long. So what does one do? Token participation. It may save one’s friendship, but it won’t save the Red Sea. More ships are being re-routed. Hong Kong’s OOCL is the latest to make the announcement. Their ships will avoid the Red Sea. Instead, they will sail around Africa. And these route changes have consequences. Oil markets are spooked. Shipping rates are up. And exporters are worried. If one looks at the Chinese market. Shipping rates from China to the Mediterranean are up 44 percent! Even Indian exporters are reporting similar numbers, 30 to 40 percent. So I guess the obvious question is this: Has the Red Sea force failed? ‘Fail’ may be a strong word. But the start is not impressive. We have told you why Arab countries haven’t joined, especially Saudi Arabia. They fear reprisals from the Houthis. But now let’s look at Western nations. Among them, only one seems interested — The United Kingdom — it has put a warship under US Command. Its foreign minister is also lobbying in the Arab World. He was in Cairo on Thursday. He tried hard to get Egypt onboard. “It would be damaging to Egypt, it would be damaging to Britain, it would be damaging to the whole world, if there are these repeated attacks on shipping. That is what Operation Prosperity Guardian is all about and Britain is proud to take part in that with British ships trying to help keep those sea lanes open,” said British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron. Did it work? Honestly we don’t know. Maybe Egypt is one of those eight anonymous members, Or maybe it’s not. There’s no way to know. Which brings us to why Western states are reluctant? First, there is a lack of trust in the US. The US has not hit back at the Houthis. It is almost like Joe Biden is holding back. And second, this coalition isn’t the only solution to this problem. There’s a much easier one — end this war. Just look at all of America’s partners — France, Australia, Spain, Canada, and Norway — these are all countries that called for a ceasefire in Gaza. If the war ends, so do these Red Sea attacks. That’s what the Houthis have said. It’s only the US that doesn’t want a ceasefire. So can you really blame Paris, Canberra or Madrid? They want a ceasefire. They know it will end the Red Sea problem. They also know the US can do it. Yet, they’re being asked to send warships and soldiers. So the hesitation is not a surprise, and we’re not saying the coalition won’t work. It’s too early for such an assessment, but it does reveal the problem with America’s approach. A military solution to a political problem — when was the last time that it worked? Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.