The recent maritime crisis in the Red Sea has brought this vital global waterway back to the fore. But the region’s destiny is no longer being decided by the distant chess moves of great powers; it is being shaped, right now, by the assertive and competing interests of regional middle powers. Middle Eastern countries (MECs), such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye, actively rewriting the security and political map of the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa (HoA) with a mix of money, diplomacy, and direct military and other forms of intervention. At the same time, the HoA is no longer a passive recipient of MECs’ engagement. Its governments, elites, and local actors have learned to navigate and exploit MECs’ ambitions, using external competition to bolster domestic legitimacy, attract investment, and diversify partnerships.

To understand this critical corridor this book provides the first comprehensive analysis that breaks down the silos between MECs and the HoA. This volume critically examines the interactions between the MECs and the HoA and seeks to align visions and identify concrete steps toward realizing the vision of a Red Sea that, though divided by waters, is united by opportunities.

Co-published by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, the Mediterranean Platform, and the Pan-African Agenda Institute, this eBook provides the first comprehensive analysis that breaks down the silos between Middle Eastern countries (MECs) and the Horn of Africa (HoA). By bringing perspectives from the Gulf into direct conversation with those from the Horn, it critically examines the interactions between the MECs and the HoA.