Djibouti

Djibouti was formed from the French territories of the Afars and the Issas in 1977. Djibouti is located in Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia. The major ethnic groups are Somali, Afar, and others including French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian. The dominant religion is Muslim(94%). Djibouti is a republic that became independent from France on June 27, 1977. Hassan Gouled Aptidon became President after

the independence from France and installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. The Afars minority's dissatisfaction during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar Guelleh, who was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. The present leadership favors close ties with France, which maintains a significant military present in the country, but is also developing stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/dj.html#Military

No Logo

Naomi Klein's "No Logo" presents a whole new aspect to consumer America. The ironic thing about it is that after watching her present tactics used by large companies, the flashing of products such as McDonald's and Coca Cola made me really hungry and thirsty(or maybe it's just lunch time). Anyway, Klein begins her discussion with how marketing began. In the early stages, products were marketed through people. Instead of logos or fancy, flashy advertisements, the simple use of people were used to help the average American relate to the product. By allowing the consumer to say, "Hey! That lady is just like me!", the product comes across as a commodities that is needed in order for the consumer to feel important. The switch came when business stopped selling a product and instead begin selling ideas and values. Ideas such as family, sports, and fashion were sold instead of the individual product. The largest example being Disney. Disney used the idea of the "American Dream" to sell their product. By recreating "Main Street America", consumers were allowed to return to a "happier time". A time when things were more personable and simple.
The privatization of these companies has led to consumers being unable to express their beliefs and concerns about these large corporations. As shown in the video, picketing and demonstrating has become nearly impossible. The most interesting facet of this video is how these commodities are being produced. The use of cheap labor through smaller countries and the children and women who are coerced to do so is enabling these multi-billion dollar corporations to make a HUGE profit. Klein presents the idea of free trade as a solution to all of this.
After watching this video, I can't help but be reminded of Klare's "Resource Wars". Not in the sense of wars over oil, water, and other natural resources, but in the sense that we are so obsessed with commodities that we don't take a harder look at underlying aspects such as the globalization and mass consumerism feeding capitalism. In relation to Barnett's "The Pentagon's New Map", the marketing and globalization of these commodities to the gap countries could be seen as a tactic to "close the gap" and integrate those smaller, less commercialized countries into our Western culture. I see the Free Trade idea as a way of integrating these locations but in a more humane and beneficial way for everyone, not just large corporations!