The Horn of Africa has become one of the most contested regions in the world. In this video, we explain why global and regional powers are competing for ports, military bases, and strategic access along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Located at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, the Horn of Africa has quietly turned into a frontline of global geopolitics. From Djibouti’s dense cluster of foreign military bases to Somaliland’s strategic ports and Ethiopia’s search for maritime access, this region concentrates some of the most important security and trade dynamics of the 21st century.

This video breaks down: – why the Horn of Africa matters for global trade and security – how ports, military hubs, and chokepoints shape modern power projection – why local actors and external powers are drawn into the same narrow space – how competition in the Red Sea is reshaping regional and global alignments

00:00 Introduction 00:12 The Horn of Africa – strategic hub 01:48 Local actors in the Horn of Africa 02:06 Somaliland 03:29 Somalia 04:42 Ethiopia 05:40 Djibouti 06:21 Eritrea 07:15 External powers in the Horn of Africa 07:35 Israel 08:35 Turkey 09:25 UAE 10:13 Saudi Arabia 10:45 Qatar 11:05 USA 11:34 China 12:02 Russia 12:28 European Union and Japan 12:40 – Conclusion – Models of Power

This is not a story about ideology or values. It is a story about access, infrastructure, and positioning.

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