The Houthis aren't somebody else's problem. America can't afford to look away

Some in Washington would like to believe the Houthis are somebody else’s problem. It is easy to understand why. America is already deeply engaged in the war with Iran, and there is little appetite for widening the battlefield with the midterm elections approaching. The Houthis have also cynically given Washington a reason to limit its involvement by signaling that American shipping will not be targeted.

But Yemen is not a separate conflict. The Houthis — a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist...