Noah writes:
For all the peril Biden’s bizarre dithering over the Houthis’ terrorism has imposed on America and its partners abroad, his conduct established conditions that represent a test of sober-mindedness. Those who pass it understand the gravity of these attacks on the global maritime trade regime and American geopolitical hegemony, the most visible expression of which is its guarantee of the free navigation of the seas. Those who do not pass it have allowed their mistrust of U.S. hard power to cloud their judgment. They have failed a basic test of seriousness.
I couldn’t agree more. Preventing savages from destroying the prerequisites of Western civilization — Anglo-American naval supremacy, open trade, the free movement of people, etc. — is one of the main reasons that we have a government, and it has been from the foundation of the United States. Pretty much the first thing that this country did on the global stage after its independence was take on the Barbary Pirates, who, by the end of the 18th century, were costing the federal government nearly one-fifth of its annual budget. Heck, this is why the U.S. Navy was founded in the first place. In modern America, we have all manner of debates about government policy, but this one ought to be considered pre-political. I have been trying to think if there is any role of government more basic than this, and I am coming up short. You could strip down Washington, D.C., to a borderline anarcho-capitalistic minimum, and still you’d have to protect shipping around the world. I do not like paying taxes, but I do not mind paying for this in the same way that I do not mind paying for courts. Were I not obliged to, I would volunteer.
One can only wonder what Joe Biden thought was going to happen if he ignored the problem for longer. Did he think that we would just give up on the Suez Canal? That we would all agree to pay higher prices in tribute to the Houthi villains? That someone else would handle the issue, so he didn’t have to bother? The same question applies to those who have criticized the action on the grounds that it was “violent.” Yes, and . . . ? A bunch of international criminals are trying to interrupt the world’s shipping lanes. What should we do about this? Show them an instructional video?