New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- Renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have once again demonstrated that geography is central to contemporary geopolitics. Despite rapid advances in technology and the emergence of new domains of warfare, control over maritime chokepoints provides states and even non-state actors with disproportionate strategic leverage.

Simultaneous instability in the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz represents far more than a regional security challenge; it threatens the foundations of global trade, energy security and the rules-based maritime order.

The broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in February has once again transformed Yemen into a theatre of proxy competition. Althoug...