For many Americans, hearing that the United States had engaged in a military action like Friday morning’s joint strikes with the British against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels must trigger a degree of anxiety, call it “Post Forever Wars Stress Disorder (PFWSD).” Some part of our brains says, “We have seen this movie before and it does not end well. Sometimes, it seems like it does not end at all.”
But, not all military actions are the same. The late night raids undertaken by the U.S. and the U.K. (with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands) against the Houthis that had been terrorizing international shipping in the Red Sea, were actually the kind of step that is more likely to limit the risk of further engagement by the U.S. military in the Middle East.
In fact, despite the early reaction of many on social media, the steps taken by the U.S.—in conjunction with our allies, as parallel to a much broader effort to limit the risks associated with the Houthi attacks, following extended diplomacy and work in the United Nations—were dramatically different to the hubristic unilateralism of the U.S. military adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan.
