Book Description

Djibouti's naval base, 600 miles closer to the Strait of Hormuz than Diego Garcia, is the nearest base to Middle East oil centers likely to be available to France and its allies in the future. Koburger's work, the only current book on maritime Djibouti, describes the geography, naval history, and present stragegic importance of this country, and indicates what might be its future. Koburger includes previously little known facts concerning French covert action in Italian East Africa, 1938-1941 and of Operation Toreador in 1956. It also turns a spotlight on the Allied blockade of Djibouti (1940-1942). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

History Oriented? Yes. Tourism? NON!
This book is quite expensive and was, in fact my first on line purchase. Having been to the country, for a day, I wanted to know more - much more. This book filled the bill for that. It is full of valuable history. I now understand why the country is what it is. It is a country to visit during the morning and get out of - it is culture SHOCK! - but I understand it much better now. A travelogue it is not, but if you're going there, it will give you an understanding of it's strategic importance, and why the French Foregin Legion is still there, to this day.

I liked the book and would buy it again, If I knew all it contained. It contains a lot of history, from the military point of view.

... Read more

Book Description

Established as a country a little more than a century ago, born as an independent republic in June 1977, Djibouti is among the youngest as well as the smallest states in Africa. Yet its strategic location at the crossroads of the maritime trade routes between Africa, Asia and Europe turned this tiny spot on the world map into a vital player in twentieth century geopolitics. ... Read more