Hello, Djibouti
Back in the old days, before the Suez Canal was built, a trip from Europe to India was very circuitous and took forever. But at least the passage routes were wide. After the Suez Canal, the route got shortened significantly, but it also meant the passage via the Red Sea was very narrow. That very narrowness led to a surge in piracy in the region, and the associated hostage taking and ransoms have became notorious in recent years. The Tom Hanks movie, Captain Philips , was based on one such incident. Many countries, including India, have sent their navies to patrol the seas in the region. Given the area’s strategic importance, a tiny country you’d never hear of otherwise, Djibouti is now “home to more foreign bases than any other country”, writes Bruno Macaes! So who has military bases in Djibouti? France (who is now moving out due to budgetary constraints), China, Japan, the US, Italy and Saudi Arabia… for now . In fact, this is the only foreign base for both China and...