When it comes to giving pirates a hard time to keep the arteries of global trade flowing, the United States is definitely your go-to country. For decades, America’s navy has patrolled the world’s shipping lanes to deter maritime marauders, a job deserving great credit.

The Houthis, whose attacks on container ships and US Navy vessels in the Red Sea have severely limited commercial traffic through the Suez Canal, are a much tougher challenge. The current situation underlines that the US’ most critical work protecting supply chains is in hard-edged geopolitical and military situations. But its motives are more strategic than economic, which can make its actions only ambiguously useful – and subject to political shifts.