{"id":4060,"date":"2026-09-13T05:11:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T05:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/?p=4060"},"modified":"2026-09-14T05:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T05:24:17","slug":"red-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/red-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"RED SEA"},"content":{"rendered":"<table style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<blockquote><p><b>SYLLABUS: International Relations<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>General Studies \u2013 : II Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India\u2019s interests,<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>IN NEWS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Houthis vs Saudi Arabia | The new lords of the Red Sea<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>QUESTION: <\/b><b>Houthi control over Yemen&#8217;s Red Sea coastline and the Bab el-Mandeb strait threatens global maritime trade. Discuss its strategic implications for India. <\/b><b><i>(10 Marks, 150 Words)<\/i><\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>ANSWER: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea corridor carry a significant share of the Asia\u2013Europe trade routed through the Suez Canal. With the Houthis now controlling Yemen&#8217;s entire Red Sea coastline\u00a0 having captured Mokha, Dhubab, and the Perim Island in the strait itself a non-state actor aligned with Iran has acquired direct leverage over one of the world&#8217;s most critical maritime chokepoints, with direct consequences for India&#8217;s trade and energy security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Nature of the strategic shift\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Houthis have transformed from an insurgent group into a <\/span><b>&#8220;formidable territorial army and naval force,&#8221;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> controlling the Red Sea coastline and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the narrow chokepoint linking the <\/span><b>Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This capability rests on four pillars:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0A <\/span><b>parallel state<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in northern Yemen since 2014<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An <\/span><b>ideologically committed base<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> among Zaydi Shias,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Sustained Iranian support<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Years of war that a Saudi-led coalition (since 2015) failed to dislodge them from.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Control over <\/span><b>two global chokepoints simultaneously<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and its ally Ansar Allah (Houthis) over Bab el-Mandeb gives the Iran-aligned axis leverage over routes carrying <\/span><b>12-15% of global maritime trade<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a significant share of seaborne oil trade.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The renewed conflict of Houthi attacks on Saudi cities and the capture of Mokha and Dhubab shows the <\/span><b>ceasefire&#8217;s fragility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the risk of the corridor becoming a permanent zone of instability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Implications for India<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b><i>Economic\/Energy security:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India imports the bulk of its crude oil via Gulf routes; disruption to Red Sea\/Bab el-Mandeb shipping raises freight costs, insurance premiums, and transit times for India-bound and India-origin cargo (as already seen during 2023-24 Houthi attacks on commercial shipping).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instability compounds India&#8217;s existing exposure to Strait of Hormuz risk, creating a <\/span><b>&#8220;double chokepoint&#8221; vulnerability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> given India&#8217;s heavy dependence on Gulf energy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i>Strategic\/Connectivity concerns:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, envisaged as an alternative connectivity route, depends on regional maritime stability; sustained Houthi disruption undermines its viability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing <\/span><b>Iranian-aligned non-state leverage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over global chokepoints affects the broader balance of power in West Asia, a region central to India&#8217;s &#8220;Link West&#8221; policy and its ~9 million-strong diaspora.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i>Diplomatic balancing:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India maintains ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel simultaneously; escalation between these poles (as seen with U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, Saudi-Houthi conflict) tests India&#8217;s strategic autonomy and neutrality-based diplomacy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen <\/span><b>Indian Navy&#8217;s anti-piracy\/escort presence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, building on its existing Operation Sankalp-type deployments to secure shipping lanes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversify crude oil sourcing (Russia, U.S., Latin America) to reduce structural dependence on Hormuz\/Bab el-Mandeb-routed Gulf supplies, in line with India&#8217;s <\/span><b>energy security strategy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast-track <\/span><b>IMEC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> implementation with alternative overland\/multimodal segments to reduce dependence on any single maritime chokepoint.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leverage India&#8217;s <\/span><b>balanced relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the U.S.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to play a quiet facilitatory role, consistent with India&#8217;s positioning at platforms like the <\/span><b>Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhance <\/span><b>intelligence-sharing and coordination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and like-minded Indian Ocean partners (Quad, France, UAE) to monitor chokepoint security in real time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Houthi consolidation over the Red Sea coastline signals a structural shift in West Asian security, where non-state actors now hold leverage once reserved for states. For India, safeguarding energy security and connectivity ambitions like IMEC will require a mix of naval preparedness, diplomatic balancing and diversification reflecting India&#8217;s evolving role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<blockquote><p><b>PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2017<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. The question of India\u2019s Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India\u2019s economic progress. Analyze India\u2019s energy policy cooperation with West Asian countries. . [250 Words] [15 Marks]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>SOURCE: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/204093\/OPS\/GC4GHCV7L.1.png?cropFromPage=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu e-paper &#8211; The new lords of the Red Sea<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SYLLABUS: International Relations General Studies \u2013 : II Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India\u2019s 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