Acknowledgments

Lynne Rienner Publishers eBooks, pp. ix–x

Abstract

when I was a postdoctoral researcher at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.From the very beginning, the idea of writing a book on the political history of Djibouti had its ups and downs.Many saw its importance, because the topic is under-researched and a full account of the subject is lacking.But others saw the topic as too narrow to deserve a book-length treatment.Caught between the magnitude of writing a book and the smallness of Djibouti, I considered abandoning the project, not once but many times.But the greatness of Djibouti lies, in fact, in its smallness.None of its giant neighbors occupies a strategic place like Djibouti, and none of them is marked by a concentration of global forces like Djibouti, which today is hosting US, Chinese, French, and Japanese military forces, among others, in its territory.In view of this history, I first would like to acknowledge those who encouraged me to pursue this project.Benjamin F. Soares at the University of Florida was instrumental in my visiting the African Studies Centre (ASC) at Leiden University in the summer of 2014.My stay there led to the drafting of initial ideas and to the writing of two draft chapters that subsequently became the basis for this book.I also recognize the assistance of Jan Abbink, who in 2017 facilitated my second trip to Leiden.By providing me with the necessary working space, the ASC helped me in writing several chapters as well as in obtaining resources from its excellent library.The research and writing would not have gone as smoothly as it did without the generous and cordial assistance of the library team.I would particularly like to thank Ella Verkaik and Jos Damen for their unreserved help.I also acknowledge

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