All landlocked countries have the international legal right to obtain reliable access to the sea. An estimated 95% of Ethiopia’s international trade is presently conducted via Djibouti, but that country reportedly charges onerous rates for using its commercial port facilities. The pandemic, the two-year-long Northern Conflict, and a severe draught led to financial problems for Ethiopia, which means the aforesaid rates risk ...
... inroads in the region, as well as China’s high visibility in most African nations. To counter what the US
perceives
as “
harmful activities,
” Washington has recently recalibrated its behavior.
A coordinated charm offensive
Austin’s visits to Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola built on other trips to Africa by high-ranking American officials. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was first to embark on a visit in January, traveling to Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa. US First Lady Jill Biden soon followed ...
A small East African nation of
876,000
people, of negligible resource wealth, and little to no political drama, Djibouti is rare to grab headlines. On November 26th 2015, however, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) announced that its first oversees military installation would be in Djibouti, the country was suddenly launched to the forefront of international ...
