Nest of Spies: How Did Djibouti Become the Center of Competition for International Influence?

Djibouti is considered the world’s "nest of spies." It has become the center of competition between international powers to extend their influence. What is the story of this Arab Muslim country, which has become the heard of espionage? And what is the Djibouti’s role in the competition between the Western powers and China to strengthen their global influence?

The Telegraph newspaper published an article by Will Brown stating: “In the early 20th century it was Oslo, in the 40s it was Casablanca and in the 50s it was Berlin. Today one could argue that the world's spy capital is the little-known African nation of Djibouti.”

For several years, the world powers’ military bases were located in Djibouti, including, the United States, France, China and Japan. Recently Saudi Arabia and India joined the ranks and established their bases as well, in the country.

 

Geostrategic Location

The DW German newspaper stressed that Djibouti's geostrategic position played an important role in attracting major world powers.

The small country of Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa, at the entrance of the Red Sea, which is one of the most sensitive straits in global trading. It overlooks the Bab al-Mandab strait, which is the gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Anyone wishing to travel from Asia to Europe or vice versa by ship via the Suez Canal has to pass through Djibouti, and  over 10% of world trade passes by the coasts of the small country.

It covers an area of about 23 thousand square kilometers and a population of 942,000 people. They mainly belong to two ethnic groups: Issa of Somali origin and Afar of Ethiopian origin.

With its distinguished geographical location, and its wise policy and balanced relations, the Republic of Djibouti, the Arab Muslim state located in East Africa, became famous for the global power race.

Although the world powers have many military in Djibouti, stability and peace prevail. Djibouti was named the country of peace for the year 2018 by the Peace Without Borders International organization.

 

Nest of Spies

In order to protect their interests and trades passing through the coast of this county, the world powers seek to ensure Djibouti's stability in a crisis-ridden region. The surveillance measures seems the ultimate way to keep stability and to protect conflicting-interests in Djibouti.

"Over the past decade, the country of less than one million people has become a microcosm of the new world order," Will Brown wrote. He added that Djibouti has become a nest of spies, a place where the old Western powers compete for influence against the rising power of China.

In Djibouti there is a US military base in Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, and a Chinese military base a few miles away from it on the edge of the coast.

The BBC quoted a foreign diplomat as saying: “Everyone knows what you're doing. You have to get used to nothing being private. Everyone here conspires. It's the national pastime.”

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, Dr. Abdolgader Mohamed Ali, the political analyst and researcher specializing on issues of the Horn of Africa, said: “Many factors make Djibouti an important center for various security activities.”

He pointed out that first, the presence of a large number of foreign military bases whose tasks include conducting intelligence work, collecting information and analyzing them. For example, the American base in Lemonnier, which tracks the activity of terrorist groups in East Africa and Yemen, from which planes fly to attack leaders or the activities, groups or facilities targeted in both regions.

Second, he explained that these bases are spying on each other. Each base seeks to gather information about others’ strategies in Djibouti and the region in general. Third, ensuring the security of the military, security and commercial installations of many countries in Djibouti requires continuous security activity to protect them from any kind of targeting. We recall here the threat announced by the leader of the Somali youth movement to target the French base in Djibouti last year.

Fourth, as one of the most crucial arteries of international trade, the protection of navigation in this important basin from various threats such as piracy, organized crime and terrorist acts seems necessary and requires high and continuous security activities.”

Fifth, as a consequence of the war in Yemen, the Red Sea has turned into an arena for military activities and attacks. The Houthi group attacks and the effects of the escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict, forced many concerned forces to carry out proactive security activities in Djibouti to protect their interests.

 

Strain Conflict

The political analyst explained: “As a result of its distinguished geostrategic location and since it is a poor, barren country that only has its important location to rent for hosting foreign military bases, Djibouti has turned into an arena for the global struggle to control the geopolitical influence on this important corridor.”

He added that, on its lands, there are many military bases of various international powers. For instance, Beijing’s consolidation of its geopolitical influence in Djibouti, has rung alarm bells in the corridors of American decision-makers. Mainly because US competition with international powers appeared to be an implicit priority that seems to cast a shadow over the rest of the priorities in the strategy of the US President’s administration Former Donald Trump Towards Africa Issued in 2018.

He explained: “When China established its military base in Djibouti in 2017, and the Chinese companies acquired the strategic port of Doraleh, the balance of power in the Horn of Africa, which extends on the main arteries of maritime trade between Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, seemed to be in favor of China.”

In October 2021, the American analyst Paul Heer and former official on the East Asia US intelligence service predicted a cold war between the United States and China in light of the intensification of competition between the two countries on the global stage. While Beijing is striving to establish itself as a major global power, Washington's pressure on it to obstruct it from achieving its aspirations.

The analyst explained that it is clear that a cold war between the United States and China is not desirable, nor is it necessarily inevitable. However, it is very difficult to see how Beijing and Washington, either individually or jointly, will take the necessary steps to avoid this.

Paul Heer’s article on the National interest website emphasized that “many experts and commentators have declared that the United States and China are heading toward or already engaging in a new Cold War.” In their analysis, this term applies to the bipolar strategic competition between the two nuclear superpowers and their ideologies.

However, other analysts believe that with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the option of a cold war between US and China as a bipolar conflict to shape the world order does not seem to thrive. Russian readiness to start a military conflict to protect its interests, will force the other powers to consider Russia as a key actor in world conflict zones. Which will drive the world more towards a tripolar or multipolar political system.