REPORT: SOMALIA AND AL QAEDA

This is what happens when you elevate counter-terrorism to the status of grand strategy. The LA Times is reporting that Somalia, once inhospitable to Al Qaeda, may turn out to be the next front. Some clans and Islamic militias are radicalizing and foreign fighters are trickling in. Somalia is a great (although relatively unknown) example of how an obsession with counter-terrorism is wrecking American foreign policy. After Somalia was unified by the Islamic Courts Union, we backed Ethiopia's invasion because some Al Qaeda members were embedded within the ICU. Unfortunately, we forgot that Ethiopia was Somalia's traditional enemy and got suckered into giving our legitimacy to another country's power play. Ethiopia's increasingly brutal occupation and American airstrikes in Somalia are slowly creating the conditions for Al Qaeda to gain a foothold, as the conflict takes on the tenor of a holy war against the American-backed Ethiopians.

Comments

[Jay@Soob]

Hmm. I don't agree that the US forgot or were suckered into anything. Bear in mind all of this took place just before Africom was established. The US likely sought expansionist kleptocracy (which is easily managed as a client) over Wahabbist rule (which, unless fronted by a very rich and Western dependent royal lineage is not at all easily managed.)

I think we half assed our efforts here. America needs to decide between projecting itself as a neo-empire or containing itself as a global police force.

[Ken]

I agree that what we did in somalia can only be described as horrific.

The somalis had peace under the Islamic courts, their economy was on track.

It was foolish of us to play in the hands of the Ethiopian regime and allow ourselves to be drag in their hatred campaign against the Somalis.

We must distance ourselves from the Ethiopian atrocities and ensure that the United States can not be blamed for what the Ethiopians have done.

[Dan]

By Financially and diplomatically supporting the Ethiopians, our image has been tattered in the whole horn of Africa.
Here is a recent report from HRW about atrocities of the Ethiopians
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/06/12/ethiop19029.htm

[A.E.]

Yes, we really screwed up over there. Again, a great consequence of counter-terrorism substituted for foreign policy and grand strategy.

[Trevor Hammack]

Thanks for posting this information. I have been following the situation in Somalia for the past few years. I have posted a lot of information here:

http://worldvieww.blogspot.com/search?q=SOMALIA

[Yours Truly]

I DIDN'T realize (must have forgotten) that the United States was dragged into that PR disaster by the Ethiopians. Guess this was 'coz everyone those days were so sympathetic to the suffering of their peoples during the great drought of the 80's...just proves to show that NO ONE can save the world. A House of Horrors indeed.

The US will have to think THRICE in future whose fights to champion, I guess.