The Mashariki Research and Policy Centre published on 16 September 2025 a paper titled "Future Trajectories of Great Power Competition in Djibouti: A Case Study of Military Bases and Maritime Strategy" by Salim Salim, former secretary general of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union.
Djibouti has attracted a number of military bases, including facilities from France, the United States, and China. The author concluded that Djibouti gains from the competition but risks being caught in great power rivalries that could destabilize its delicate balancing act. Djibouti demonstrates how a small, strategically located state, can exert influence far beyond its borders while generating vulnerabilities: dependence on foreign rents, exposure to external shocks, and the risk of entanglement in great power rivalries.
