By including Spain between the naval powers in charge of guarantee maritime traffic in the Red Sea, Before this decision had been approved by the Spanish Parliament, the North American Administration has not done any favors to the Government of Pedro Sánchez. The antecedent of the Iraq war, in which the then President of the Government, José María Aznar, adopted a position contrary to the majority of Spanish public opinion, it is not that far away. The lack of foundation for that war, supported by fabricated information about alleged weapons of mass destruction, has left a mark that any Government must take into account.
The situation is clearly different. Now, Spain’s interests are compromised by the actions carried out against free trade in the Red Sea by the Houthis (a militia linked to Iran that claims to act in solidarity with the Palestinians). Any disruption to maritime traffic in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb would have a significant impact on inflation and growth. In fact, after the first attacks by the Houthis against merchants of different nationalities, not just Israelis, the price of gas has already increased by 10%. Therefore, it would be logical for Spain to join a coalition that acts in defense of its interests and those of the European Union.
However, the organic law of national defense requires that any movement abroad of Spanish military troops be approved by Parliament. Based on this, it is logical that the opposition leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has demanded from Sánchez that the issue be debated and voted on in the Chamber. Feijóo knows that some aspects of international politics constitute the Achilles heel of the parliamentary majority that the PSOE managed to put together for the investiture. Indeed, it is possible that neither Add, pressured by the five deputies of Podemos, nor other forces of the pro-independence left that make up this majority, are in favor of the sending troops to the Red Sea under North American leadership. Not so much because this is going to call into question Sánchez’s determined policy in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza and the recognition of Palestine as a State, but because of the anti-American bias that is part of the DNA of a good part of the forces that are positioned to the left of the PSOE.
The proposal of the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, in the sense that Spain only acts under the umbrella of NATO or the European Union is a ploy to get around the embarrassing situation in which Sánchez finds himself. However, he does not avoid parliamentary debate, nor a vote, especially if he goes from a surveillance mission to another of a strictly military nature in case the Houthis intensify their actions. International politics must be state policy. In that sense, it would be logical that Sánchez and Feijóo were able to overcome their differences to reach an agreement on something of such importance for Spain. The meeting that both have next Friday should serve to guarantee a large parliamentary majority in favor of Spain’s participation in multilateral initiatives intended to guarantee maritime traffic in the Red Sea.