Australia’s support for the attacks on Yemen’s Houthis by a coalition of countries led by the US and the UK contributes to several Australian government objectives. Perhaps foremost among them is trying to silence critics who said Australia went missing when the US sought allies to send ships to the Red Sea. Other objectives were made clear by the prime minister: protecting lives, the global economy and international commerce.
It is early days, but the coalition is well-placed to achieve the latter tranche of objectives.
The Houthis are, at best, an impoverished, improvised military force that has been at war with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It was not long ago that attacks by those countries were thought by some to be war crimes, given the disproportionate capabilities and wealth of Saudi Arabia and the UAE compared with Yemen.
Yemen has not improved since then, registering a modest $US21 billion GDP ($31 billion). By contrast, the coalition it now faces has a combined GDP of over $US33 trillion ($49 trillion). By any standards, that is a mismatch of major proportions. The desired outcome – suppressing the Houthi attacks – is likely not in doubt. However, the Houthis’ success at impeding international shipping underscores the threat that........