Maritime Security in the Red Sea: What Role for the EU?

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa are joined by Camille Lons, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, to talk about how Europe is responding to rising tensions in the Red Sea. They discuss what’s behind the recent string of attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen and how disruptions to supply chains in these strategic waters might affect prices of energy and consumer goods in Europe. They assess the EU’s proposed naval mission Aspides, its role in upholding maritime security in the Red Sea and whether it could risk drawing Europe into a wider conflict in the Middle East. They also talk about what the EU can do to better address the root causes of instability in the Red Sea beyond military engagement, how it can present itself as an alternative partner to regional actors disgruntled with U.S. policy in the Middle East and whether it should consider cooperating with other powers with interests in the area, including China.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more of Crisis Group’s analysis on the topics discussed in this episode, check out our Gulf and Arabian Peninsula page. For more on the EU’s role in peacemaking around the world, check out the latest edition of our EU Watch List.