This report analyses the evolution of Houthi strategy at sea over the twelve months since the start of the campaign, particularly with regard to targeting criteria, geographic scope and weapons systems used. It also considers the international military response, which includes several multinational naval missions, as well as the actions by Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States against ground targets in Yemen.
Reading Of The Week: Navigating troubled waters The Houthis campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
The International Institute for Strategic Studies
Sierra Leone’s Atlantic coastline stretches for 400 km and once contained abundant marine resources crucial to the nation’s economy. The fishing industry contributes up to 12% of the country’s national GDP, says the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and employs approximately 500 000 people out of a population of eight million – reflecting its significance in supporting livelihoods and sustaining the economy. Fish is also the primary source of protein for about 80% of Sierra Leone’s population.
Fighting the invisible fleet. Sierra Leones battle against IUU fishing
Enhancing Africa's Response to Transnational Organised Crime
The Atlantic Ocean, divided into North and South, has historically been central to transoceanic relations, especially global trade. Today, the Atlantic’s natural resources and strategic location connecting Africa, Europe, and the Americas continue to facilitate the transport and sourcing of goods – both legal and illegal
Cabinda to Cape Town: how crime-proof are Africas Atlantic shores?
ENACT
Since the mid-2010s, the Red Sea has been at the center of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy due to the interplay of domestic, regional, and international dynamics. Economic projects under Vision 2030 have reflected Riyadh’s goals in the Red Sea and how the kingdom imagines the future of the region connecting the Arabian Peninsula with Africa.
Saudi Arabia Has a Red Sea Vision, Not Yet a Strategy
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Iran has emerged as important player in regional power politics. With growing offensive posture in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and the broader region, Iran has exhibited capability to impart its influence at regional as well as global level
Irans Growing Assertive Posture and Its Role in Maritime Domain
Modern Diplomacy
Private security companies supplement state efforts to protect merchant vessels from piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, yet operations are poorly regulated. Denmark and other seafaring states should call for harmonised international legislation, standardised conduct and the creation of robust oversight mechanisms
Reading of the Week: Vessel protection against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: a public private hybrid
Danish Institute for International Studies
On February 19, the European Union launched a new maritime security operation, EU Naval Force Operation Aspides, in response to escalating Houthi attacks on Western warships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea basin and northwestern Indian Ocean. The name Aspides, which means “shields” in Greek, denotes the operation’s underlying defensive nature.
Operation Aspides: The European Unions Response to the Red Sea Crisis
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
The operation is a sign of Europe’s willingness to take action against the current instability, though significant work is needed to coordinate with existing initiatives and convince regional officials of the mission’s usefulness.
The EUs New Red Sea Naval Mission: Implications and Challenges
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The group is using a wide range of weapons and tactics to escalate its disruption of regional maritime security, establishing selective sea denial against Israeli vessels seeking passage through the strait and threatening U.S. warships that show up to protect them
Under Fire in the Bab al-Mandab: Houthi Military Capabilities and U.S. Response Options
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
While the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) establishes an objective framework for the coordinated handling of the use of the sea by States in the exercise of their legislative, judicial, and executive powers, China’s legislative bodies, in enacting domestic laws for the fulfillment of treaty obligations, distort obligations in its domestic laws to secure their own national interests.
Anatomy of Chinas Maritime Strategy: Threatening the Maritime Order Through Its National Legislation and Self-Centered Interpretation of UNCLOS
International Law Studies US Naval War College
A bill regarding the formulation of a naval strategy to address the threat of maritime terrorism in the Middle East, currently before the US Congress, provides another opportunity for understanding the maritime arena as a significant element in Israel’s national strategy regarding the Iranian threat.
The Maritime Arena: Strengthening the Abraham Accords and the Anti-Iranian Alliance
The Institute for National Security Studies
Current Chinese basing capacity and force commitment in the region seem insufficient to support the level of economic and diplomatic engagement that appears to be Beijing’s new normal, so Washington should prepare for further expansion.
Chinas Growing Naval Influence in the Middle East
The Washington Institute
A review of the maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon reveals an agreement that both reflects a compromise between the two parties and creates a win-win situation. Its achievement is a milestone in the history of the relations between the two states and serves their respective economic, security, and strategic interests.
The Agreement with Lebanon: The Benefits Outweigh the Drawbacks
The Institute for National Security Studies
By looking into five large transboundary river basins, this chapter analyses the extent to which programmers and policies highlight and address gender equality in transboundary water governance, and whether they are effectively implemented or remain a lip service paid with limited impact. It shows that gender at the transboundary level remains either neglected or that “checking the gender box” prevails over genuinely addressing the complexity of the gender dimension.
Gender in Transboundary Water Policies
Clingendael
The launch of UAVs by Hezbollah toward the Karish gas field was intended to convey a twofold message – to Israel and to the Lebanese – against the backdrop of Israel’s determination to continue production from this field and the renewed diplomatic effort initiated by Lebanon to resolve the maritime border dispute between the countries.
Resolving the Gas Dispute with Lebanon: First Exhaust Diplomatic Efforts
The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)