Djibouti built its economy on the strategy of charging rent to different military world powers.
The US, China, France, Japan, Turkey and Italy all have a base in this Horn of Africa country. But the expansion of the war on Iran threatens to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and make Djibouti the next hotspot. Al Jazeera’s Marthe van der Wolf explains.
Published On 7 Apr 2026
