The capture of Perim Island and Yemen’s Red Sea coast by forces from Sana’a in September 2026 is more than another turn in Yemen’s long war. It may prove a precedent for how non-state actors can exercise influence over the infrastructure of globalization.

Is Bab al-Mandab becoming an example of a new form of “weaponized geography,” in which the ability to influence strategic corridors matters almost as much as the ability to control territory?

Watch a few videos about one topic, and before long, your feed seems full of it. Sometimes it can feel as though the internet knows exactly what you want before you even search for it.

While some of Trump's pronouncements may seem childish to the world, it's not difficult to see that beneath them lies a new global political reality that thrives on tension and seeks to profit from it.