ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the economic pull and push factors that govern the United States basing arrangement with Djibouti. It discusses the historical context of foreign power basing in Africa. In February 2007, US President George W. Bush announced the formation of a new unified command for Africa called the United States (US) Africa Command (AFRICOM). There were different reasons for the criticism of US military base in Africa. Mainly, AFRICOM’s military expansion in Africa contradicts Africa’s multilateral and regional security efforts. For many years, Africa has been a host to foreign military bases. The basing of US military and intelligence personnel and apparatus in Africa is linked to domestic US economic imperatives. Oil supplies are one of the main reasons Africa has become important to the US. A year from the basing of US troops in Djibouti, the share of American trade rose as a percentage of coffee exports.
