SOCOTRA - The Most Strategic Island in the Indian Ocean

Nestled between the tip of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, Socotra is the most strategically important island in the entire Indian Ocean, given its proximity to the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb and the oil and gas trade that goes from the Persian Gulf to the Suez Canal. Belonging de facto to Yemen, the island is culturally and socially very different from its motherland. The Socotrians are a population with language and ways of life opposite to those of Yemen. Yet, with the outbreak of civil war in the country in 2015, the island has faced new geopolitical challenges. Understanding well the strategic location and the possibility of economic investment for tourism purposes was the United Arab Emirates, which occupied the island in 2018. The future of Socotra will depend on the outcome of the conflict in Yemen. Sources: 1) Blumi (2018), Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World. 2) Hill (2017), Yemen Endures: Civil War, Saudi Adventurism and the Future of Arabia. and these articles: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo... https://socotrapost.com/socotranews/2139 https://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/knowl... https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/201... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/6... https://insidearabia.com/socotra-uae-... https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/... https://www.mei.edu/publications/prot...