Institute for Peace and Security Studies

Permanent URI for this college

https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/2606

Browse

Browsing Institute for Peace and Security Studies by Author "Abebe Alemu"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Foreign Military Presence in the Horn of Africa: Regional Dynamics and Security Implications
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-11) Abebe Alemu; Aaron Tesfaye (Professor); Ahmed Hassen (Ph.D)
    In recent years, foreign powers have been extending and consolidating their military presence in the Horn of Africa. Such presence has resulted in the projection of externally driven security agendas in the region. The integration of foreign rivalries with the Horn’s own rivalries has become a security concern for the regional states. Yet, the literature on the intrusion of foreign military forces in the Horn of Africa is limited. First, most of the existing literature focuses on the foreign military presence in the Horn of Africa to fight non-traditional security threats. There is a gap in the literature in terms of external developments that have increased the importance of the Horn of Africa. Second, the existing literature focused on the intrusion of foreign powers on a case-by-case basis. This research, cognizant of the lack of proper study, aims to answer the following questions. First, why are foreign powers extending and consolidating their military presence in the Horn of Africa? Second, what are the regional security implications of a foreign military presence in the Horn of Africa? Third, what are the response strategies of the Horn regional states to this foreign military presence? To answer these questions, data was gathered from both primary (conference participation, key informant interviews, and media releases) and secondary (books, journal articles, and newspapers) sources. The findings of the research indicate that foreign powers have their own justifications for projecting their military forces into the region. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and China extended their military presence in the Horn of Africa to achieve commercial interests. The US, for its part, is working to deter the Chinese presence in the region. All four powers consider the Horn of Africa a staging area to expand their spheres of influence in other parts of Africa. This common interest in the Horn of Africa has led to competitive relations among foreign powers in the region. The presence of competing foreign powers has its own negative regional security implications. The presence of foreign powers has changed the nature of regional conflict and the patterns of regional states’ relations. In addition, the presence of foreign powers in the Horn of Africa has complicated the regional security complex. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of unified response strategies to the new foreign military presence. Some Horn regional states have welcomed the foreign military presence. Other states had tried to follow a selective foreign policy strategy. Yet, others securitized the new foreign military presence. Based on the findings, this thesis contributes to the literature on the Horn’s relations with extra-regional powers. This study seeks to act as a foundation for further research in the area of Horn’s relations with foreign powers.