The US Military Bases in the Post-9/11 Horn of Africa

Abstract

Once entangled in an intense ideological contest and power play with the Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa (HOA) during the Cold War, the US saw little geopolitical interest to defend in the sub-region in the first decade of the post-Cold War period. Terrorism-induced security threats since the late 1990s, and particularly the 9/11 incident, have drawn the US's attention back to the geostrategic Horn region. This article explores the factors behind the US's return to the Horn in the aftermath of the new millennium with a militarised and securitised presence involving the establishment of permanent and ad hoc military bases. The study employs a qualitative research approach, with data drawn from articles, books, and reports. The study reveals that although the war on terror was the immediate reason for the US's focus and militarised presence, subsequent developments such as piracy, economic interest, and the advent of rival powers increased the strategic importance of Africa to the US. The US foreign and security policy priorities are currently shifting away from the war on terror to containing strategic and economic competitors, notably China and Russia, across the globe, including in the HOA.