Since the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel, the Middle East has been taken to the brink of all-out war. Not only have Hamas and Hezbollah been ramping up attacks in Lebanon and Palestine, but other groups have been cashing in on the chaos. That is namely the Houthi Rebels in Yemen, who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea indiscriminately.
That includes American ships, and American allies, to which President Biden has done absolutely nothing. He has sent a few more ships to the area, but there has been no real response to Americans being attacked by these terrorist rebels. On top of that, other countries like Iran are financially backing the Houthi's, with money sanctioned Iranian that was unfrozen by the Biden Administration just last year.
We know America has the firepower and ability to squash this bit of rebellion, yet Biden has continued leaving it up to chance, and played pure defense. National security analyst Kyle Sheideler says after years of portraying weakness, the chickens have come home to roost.
"The Biden Administration has chosen to respond with this merely by playing defense...while defense might win championships, it does not win wars," he says.
To combat the terrorist efforts, Biden last month installed a $20 million temporary pier in Gaza, to try and get humanitarian aid into the region. It has been operational for a grand total of ten days. That has costed U.S. taxpayers over $23 million per active day.
Basically, Biden has left the Houthi's aggression unchecked, and now, we are being seen as a doormat. The Houthi's though cannot do it on their own. They have gotten help from other American enemies, like Iran. It not only hurts our own image, but it could be disastrous for the world.
"China now provides security for shipping at sea in the Middle East. That used to be the American Navy's primary job...and if we are seen as no longer being able to do that, people will look for another patron to protect their interests," he says.
Essentially, Biden has been fearful of escalation. Compare that to former President Donald Trump, who made a strike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani after Iran got just a little too rambunctious.
Biden's lack of backbone in this situation has brought us to an important crossroads. He could take action, and quash this Middle East aggression, or sit on his hands. No surprise, expect him to do the latter, which will escalate things anyway.
"Since others know they are afraid...they know in the face of conflict we will retreat, and it is exactly what we have done," he says.
Knowing that as well will just embolden our enemies to attack further and push our buttons more.
Sheideler adds this sends a dangerous message to the world.
Photo: MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP / Getty Images