Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
The Houthi takeover of Yemen’s west coast has transformed Bab al-Mandab into a new source of regional leverage. An international push to restore maritime security could contain the immediate crisis while entrenching the very gains that produced it.
The Houthis are pressing their advantage amid the broader U.S.-Iran war, securing vital leverage in a potential future settlement while risking overreach and casting Yemen—and the region—down a very dangerous path.
Iran has withstood half a year of war without the institutional breakdown some expected, even as the conflict has deepened economic hardship and expanded the role of the security state. Its resilience is real, but so are the mounting costs to Iranian society.