The sequel to the thrilling "Bam Memorandum" follows the notorious terrorist, Ibrahim, a top level planner for al Qaeda, as he resurrects his plan for a global attack on the Western world. He is aided in his campaign by an unwitting group of wealthy Americans, planning to overthrow the Administration of the United States, but unaware that their leader is a Russian agent, determined to aid Moscow to return to the glory days of the Soviet Union. Pitted against these zealots are the embattled and overstretched security forces of the United States and Great Britain who, however, have one ace up their sleeve, a special agent who has been infiltrated into the very heart of the al Qaeda organization. Together, they find themselves in a race against time to discover the extent and nature of the attack they face, and to kill Ibrahim before he can bring his apocalyptic plan to fruition.
Located in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is a small country that is often overlooked on the continent. It is one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of just over one million people. Despite its size, Djibouti is strategically located at the mouth of the Red Sea and is a hub for international trade and military operations. This has led to the construction of several major ports, including the Port of Djibouti, which is one of the busiest in Africa. The country is also home to several foreign military bases, including those of France, the United States, and China. As a result, Djibouti has become an important player in regional politics and is often referred to as the "gateway to Africa". However, despite its geopolitical significance, Djibouti faces several challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and political instability. The country's economy is largely dependent on foreign aid and military spending, which has resulted in an unequal distribution of wealth and limited economic opportunities for the majority of its citizens.
Le présent document examine les réformes macroéconomiques que Djibouti doit opérer en vue de devenir un pays à revenu intermédiaire comme prévu dans la stratégie de développement des autorités, Vision Djibouti 2035. Il passe en revue les options dont disposent les autorités dans trois domaines de réforme essentiels : traduire l’essor de l’investissement en une croissance vigoureuse et inclusive pour réduire la pauvreté et le chômage ; mener une politique budgétaire propice à la croissance tout en préservant la viabilité de la dette, et le rôle important du climat des affaires dans l’accélération de la croissance.
Port Development and Competition in East and Southern Africa analyzes the 15 main ports in East and Southern Africa (ESA) to assess whether their proposed capacity enhancements are justified by current and projected demand; whether the current port management approaches sufficiently address not only the maritime capacity needs but also other impediments to port efficiency; and what the expected hierarchy of ports in the region will be in the future. The analysis confirms the need to increase maritime capacity, as the overall container demand in the ports in scope is predicted to begin exceeding total current capacity by between 2025 and 2030, while gaps in terms of dry and liquid bulk handling are expected even sooner. However, in the case of many of the ports, the issue of landside access—the ports’ intermodal connectivity, the ease of international border crossing, and the port-city interface—is more important than the need to improve maritime access and capacity. The analysis finds that there is a need to improve the operating efficiency in all of the ESA ports, as they are currently less than half as productive as the most efficient ports in the matched data set of similar ports across the world, in terms of efficiency in container-handling operations. Similarly, there is a need to improve and formalize stakeholder engagement in many of the ports, to introduce modern management systems, and to strengthen the institutional framework to ensure the most efficient use of the infrastructure and to be able to attract private capital and specialist terminal operators. Finally, given the ports’ geographic location and proximity to main shipping routes, available draft, and the ongoing port-and-hinterland development, the book concludes that Durban and Djibouti are the most likely to emerge as the regional hubs in ESA’s future hub-and-spoke system.
Instead of emphasizing China as a developing country, Chinese President Xi Jinping has identified China as a big power and accentuated China’s big power status. This book explores the narratives and driving forces behind China's big power ambition. Three narratives rooted in Sino-centralism are examined. One is China’s demands for the reform of global governance to reflect the values and interests of China as a rising power. Another is China’s Belt and Road Initiative to construct a nascent China-centred world order. The third is the China model and self-image promotion in the developing countries. There are many forces that have driven or constrained China’s big power ambition. This collection focuses on two sets of forces. One is China’s domestic politics and economic incentives and disincentives. The other is China’s geo-political and geo-economic interests. These forces have both motivated and constrained China’s big power ambition. The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of Contemporary China.
