Djibouti,situated in the Horn of Africa,is one of the smallest coun-tries on the African continent.Arid,with scant natural resources and a high level of poverty,the country has assumed a position of strategic importan...Djibouti,situated in the Horn of Africa,is one of the smallest coun-tries on the African continent.Arid,with scant natural resources and a high level of poverty,the country has assumed a position of strategic importance in the great power contestations of the twenty-first century owing to its geographical location.Djibouti is located close to the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and is also one of the seven choke points that are crucial to international maritime security and coun-tering cross-border terrorism.Its geographic proximity to the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula and the important shipping lane of the Gulf of Aden makes this small state a role player in great and middle-power rivalries.Host to military bases of China,the USA,Japan,France,Italy,Germany and the United Kingdom,Djibouti is also in talks with Saudi Arabia.This paper will examine the behaviour of a small state like Djibouti against the backdrop of power contestations in the geopolitically sensitive Horn of Africa.Contrary to the popular belief that small states are often com-pelled to bandwagon with the big states,the paper will attempt to make the case that states,albeit small,have agency and tools at their disposal to navigate their course through complex geopo-litical quagmires.IR theories of status-seeking and shelter will be applied to study the case of Djibouti in the context of power contestations.展开更多
文摘Djibouti,situated in the Horn of Africa,is one of the smallest coun-tries on the African continent.Arid,with scant natural resources and a high level of poverty,the country has assumed a position of strategic importance in the great power contestations of the twenty-first century owing to its geographical location.Djibouti is located close to the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and is also one of the seven choke points that are crucial to international maritime security and coun-tering cross-border terrorism.Its geographic proximity to the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula and the important shipping lane of the Gulf of Aden makes this small state a role player in great and middle-power rivalries.Host to military bases of China,the USA,Japan,France,Italy,Germany and the United Kingdom,Djibouti is also in talks with Saudi Arabia.This paper will examine the behaviour of a small state like Djibouti against the backdrop of power contestations in the geopolitically sensitive Horn of Africa.Contrary to the popular belief that small states are often com-pelled to bandwagon with the big states,the paper will attempt to make the case that states,albeit small,have agency and tools at their disposal to navigate their course through complex geopo-litical quagmires.IR theories of status-seeking and shelter will be applied to study the case of Djibouti in the context of power contestations.
