The Red Sea security debate
Massad Boulos, a U.S. senior adviser on both Middle Eastern and African issues, recently met separately with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea. Egypt and Eritrea invoked littoral geography to exclude Ethiopia from…
Évaluation
The meeting between Massad Boulos and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea highlights a diplomatic friction over who legitimately belongs in Red Sea security discussions. Egypt's position, which excludes landlocked Ethiopia but also seeks to bar Israel despite its coastline, exposes an inconsistency that could undermine Washington's credibility in the region. The risk for the U.S. is that endorsing this selective logic may alienate partners and weaken future security arrangements. Observers should watch whether Washington presses for a more inclusive framework or quietly accepts the exclusionary stance.