Ansar Allah have said explicitly that they are attempting to enforce a Naval blockade in the Red Sea against Israel. They have also stated that they believe under international law they are obligated to do whatever they can to prevent genocide.

I don’t see any reason why they can’t be negotiated with. Calling them “religious fanatics” that are “throwing a temper tantrum” is just a silly way to dismiss non violent solutions to the conflict.

Biden’s decision to threaten and subsequently bomb them is just plain arrogant belligerence. The US backed campaign to bomb and starve out the Houthis didn’t work previously so why does Biden think it’ll work now?

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Firstly, the Houthi flag includes the words, “Death to America.” These are not rational actors. They are fanatic jihadis and all attempts to reason with them have failed. Acting like the Houthis are the same as a regular nation state is borderline intellectually dishonest.

If they have a problem with Israel, keep firing at Israel. If they want a problem with the rest of the world, keep firing at our CIVILIAN ships. Firing at those ships is an act of war, and it was going to provoke a response.

Biden waited a very long time to act, which emboldened Iran to take an oil tanker. That move virtually guaranteed a response, and it’s good that the response was limited to Yemen. Biden is playing the cards he’s been dealt, and he’s playing them reasonably.

Also, it should be mentioned that the Houthis themselves said the casualties were ~5 dead and 6 wounded. Warming was given far in advance so they could evacuate and minimize casualties. If Biden had wanted to play dirtier, he could have. A deliberate decision was made to minimize civilian casualties. If the positions were reversed, the Houthis would nuke Tel Aviv, DC, and every other major city in both the US and Israel.

[–] cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

You do realize that the US supported a campaign of bombing and a blockade against Yemen for the better part of the past decade? It’s not irrational of them to hate the US. They certainly aren’t more or less religious fanatics than Israel or the Christian Zionists in the US that support Israel.

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago

They certainly aren’t more or less religious fanatics than Israel or the Christian Zionists in the US that support Israel.

The world would be a great place if everyone behaved rationally. It’s sad that they don’t.

[–] Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world -3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Why is it that every time that you're confronted with information that proves you wrong you always just pivot back to

"Well what does it matter anyway, America is worse"?

[–] cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 years ago

I explained why the Houthis have reason to hate the US after their hate was cited as a reason why they must be irrational. That’s not a pivot. It’s a very direct response. You should work on your reading comprehension.

[–] citizen@normalcity.life 4 points 2 years ago

20 years of bombing as the title of this thread implies is probably the cause they are angry with america. Ironically by taking position against israel genocide they are doing more than the west at preventing fanaticism as it has been said over and over that the indiscriminate bombing of gaza can only breed more terrorists. Whoever leads them is probably a scummy individual but just as much as Biden or the other 3 presidents that bombed them.

[–] Diva@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

Marg bar amrika

You're more mad about the treats getting delayed than the genocide our government is enabling.

[–] Drusas@kbin.social 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The Houthis are the ones attacking civilians and American warships alike. The international community tried to get them to stop for months before resorting to retaliation.