Djibouti’s Foreign Policy Change from Survival Strategy to an Important Regional-Power Player: Implications for Ethio-Djibouti Relations

Abstract

This paper examines Djibouti’s emerging active regional foreign policy in the post-Gouled era. The study has multi-pronged strategy: First, it outlines the underlying factors for Djibouti’s emerging as an important player of regional-power politics, while at the same time questioning its viability against the backdrop of its domestic political and economic situation; second, it explores the potential implications of Djibouti’s emerging active regional foreign policy for Ethio-Djiboutian relations; finally, it suggests a viable foreign policy Djibouti needs to pursue towards its neighbouring states of the Horn of Africa, a region of security complex. The paper is important for students interested in the history and contemporary African politics in general and the Horn of Africa in particular. It can also serve as additional source of information for policy decision-makers of Ethiopia and Djibouti.