In Eastern Africa, just northeast of Ethiopia
and on the coast of the Red Sea, lies the tiny nation known as the Republic of Djibouti. Only the size of New Jersey or North Macedonia,
and with not even a million people, this little nation has an outsized role in world geopolitics. Djibouti might be small, but it is hardly
the butt of any jokes, as nations attempt to further spread out their… yeah okay I’m
not gonna keep making butt jokes, I can make my own jokes here. [This video was sponsored by Skillshare] Djibouti’s outsized importance in global
geopolitics, like many in its circumstance, can be drawn pretty much entirely to its location. Djibouti is located not far from one of the
busiest and most important waterways in the world, sought after by different nations ever
since people started using it for world trade… that waterway is the Suez Canal, around 1,600km
to the north, but Djibouti also sits right beside another important waterway, one perhaps
equally important to this part of the world, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. As basically every ship passing through the
Suez Canal will also pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (unless they’re stopping
in Sudan or Saudi Arabia), securing the security of this strait securely is imperative for
countries all around the world, especially considering the two other countries along
the strait include Yemen and Eritrea, with Somalia not far away, none of whom are exactly
famous for their stability. Thus to the international community, the strait
might as well only be 20km wide, the area within Djibouti’s territorial waters. Largely because of Djibouti’s relative stability
in the region, the country has become a magnet for different countries aiming to build military
bases in the area. Oh by the way I couldn’t actually find any
stock footage of Djibouti that I could actually afford, so I’m just gonna Atlas Pro it and
go on camera every now and then. Currently, as of October, 2021, China, France,
Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States all hold some form of military presence
within the country’s borders, with the French bases also housing Italian and German troops
and the US’ Camp Lemmonier also holding British troops. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait however isn’t the
only reason so many foreign powers have built and leased military bases in the country. The country also lies within 1,500km of hotspots
like Yemen, Somalia, and South and Sudan. It is largely for this reason the US has rented
out Camp Lemmonier, just beside the Djibouti International Airport, since not long after
the 9/11 attacks. Somali piracy of course is also one of the
main concerns within the region, with Somalia’s lack of a stable central government-- and
thus a navy-- leading to local fishermen needing to band together to protect themselves, eventually
with some groups realizing the profitability of charging ransoms, leading to where we are
today with vulnerable sea lanes. Okay I guess that was a brief explanation
as to how the problem started. Probably way oversimplified, but still. China however has also built a base here,
within just 6km of the US base. This creates the somewhat awkward situation
where the United States and many of its closest allies may find themselves with military bases
in the same city as a Chinese base. US1: What? The PLA just moved in nextdoor! Now they can spy on us from less than 9,000
washing machines away! US2: Maybe we can also spy on them? [pause]
US2: We can also see them from here, you know? US1: I think you might be onto something! China’s stated aim with its base though
is to combat the aforementioned threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden to the south. The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) base
is China’s first permanent military base outside China, which alongside its investment
in different infrastructure projects in the region, all help to solidify its economic
and political influence in Africa. This can be seen not only through China’s
military base in Djibouti, but also the rising number of Chinese-built and funded infrastructure
projects in the region, one such example being the railway connecting Djibouti to Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia. Djibouti’s presence also cannot be overstated
for neighboring Ethiopia. As I discussed in another award-winning* video
of mine, Djibouti is effectively landlocked Ethiopia’s easiest access point to the sea. There are so many more anatomical jokes I
can make with this, but I can behave myself! With the completion of the largely Chinese-built
Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway in 2018, the railway has thus far not lived up to its promised
potential. However as Ethiopia’s population continues
to skyrocket over the next several decades, many say this railway could be a boon to Djibouti,
as effectively the gateway to Ethiopia. The question is though, given its strategic
location and obvious importance in world trade, not to mention how many countries are willing
to work with them, why is Djibouti not one of the richest countries in this part of the
world? 41% of the country’s population lives in
poverty, and 23% in extreme poverty. So in other words, why isn’t it basically
a copy of Singapore? Djibouti’s location is, in a sense, its
only real economic asset. The country’s dry, arid climate leaves a
scant 0.04% of its land area being arable. In addition, the country’s two largest groups,
the Afars and the Issas, fought a bloody civil war from 1991 to 1994, which destroyed much
of the agricultural infrastructure within the nation. In a sense, if the country were located basically
anywhere but this specific point, no one would probably want anything to do with it. Despite this, Djibouti ultimately wants to
become the “Dubai of Africa”, and with their economy forcast to grow by 9% in 2021,
the country does seem poised to make good use of its strategic position. However its position hasn’t not posed certain
risks and downsides for the country. President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is currently
in power in his fifth term in office, having first assumed power in 1999, and has been
accused of being a dictator, known to jail opposition leaders and expel foreign observers. With this, many criticize much of what we’ve
talked about-- particularly Guelleh’s seeking closer ties to China-- as going more towards
stabilizing the current regime rather than the country itself. In addition, with so many of the world’s
most powerful countries being allowed by Guelleh’s government to host military bases in this
oh-so important region (which would be nearly impossible otherwise), many say these countries
have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Either way, in the coming decades people are
definitely going to be looking a lot at Djibouti… oh come on!
