2021/01/01 by Alexandre Audard, Alexandre, Audard
Social Sciences · #Antsiranana #Diego-Suarez #Global Maritime and Colonial Histories #Indo-Pacific #Indopacifique #Madagascar #maritimisation #maritimization
paper · doi:10.26171/carnets-oi_0705
openalex publication_date 2021/01/01 · openalex created_date 2022/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
The Indo-Pacific geopolitical situation and the growing weaponization around have given rise to numerous rumours in Madagascar. Although the island is located at the crossroads of Indian Ocean’s south-western sea routes, it doesn’t host any foreign military base. Considering the economic and political problems the country faces and the heightened regional tensions, a competition between powers willing to settle is likely to happen. In this context, the military purpose of Antsiranana Bay, in the far north, is back on the agenda. Its past as a French naval base (former Diego-Suarez) and its geographical assets constitutes imperial legacies naturally highlighted by Antsiranana people themselves. However, the international and memorial dimension of the place tends to hide indianoceanic dynamics. Moreover, the case of Antsiranana reveals, on a local scale, the instability and the scope of global political reconfigurations over the past decade.