Remember the last time the U.S. intervened in the Horn of Africa? Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. And keep in mind that in ‘91, we went into Somalia with the best of intentions, and with a kinder, gentler kind of big-stick diplomacy.
There’s trouble a-brewin’ in the Horn again. War looms between Ethiopa and Somalia. Ethiopia, humbled in several wars with its smaller neighbor Eritrea, seeks to burnish its credentials as a pretender to regional hegemony by interceeding on behalf of Somalia’s “transitional government,” which has been chased into virtual exile by a Council of Islamic Courts (aka “Islamic Courts Union”). The Council formed in response to the continuing anarchy in Mogadishu and the rest of the country; the transitional government (aka the Baidoa government, named after the last town over which it holds sway) proved grossly inept, so the people took it upon themselves to restore order via a traditional tribal form of governance.
Despite the “Islamic” moniker, most accounts of the Council have been positive. Far from Taliban-style Islamic radicals, the Council has so far showed an ability to moderate (a ban on watching World Cup games was lifted after widespread protests and blatant disregard for the ban) and — more importantly — have for the first time in almost two decades brought a measure of safety and stability to one of the most lawless places on earth (a task that even a U.S.-led UN mission was unable to accomplish).
So if you were the President of the U.S., what would you do? For myself, I might see the situation in Somalia as an opportunity to show that the U.S. isn’t anti-Muslim by supporting a popular Islamic government, and one that has shown at least some ability to be pragmatic to boot.
Of course, this is the world of G.W. “if-you’re-not-with-us-you’re-an-evildoer and boy-brown-people-sure-are-scary” Bush.
Indeed, some American officials say the United States supports Ethiopia’s military buildup because they feel it is the only way to protect the weak Baidoa government from being overrun, force the Islamists to the negotiating table and contain what they call a growing regional threat.
And so we have the seeds of yet another foreign policy disaster being sown by our President. [Bush could be an Irish potato farmer circa 1845 for all the blighted crops he's reaped ... what's he gotten right?] This quote from the NYT article pretty much sums up my feelings about the “wisdom” of Bush’s strategy in the Horn:
“I’ll be honest,” said Sheik Muktar Robow Abu Monsur, the deputy security chief for the Islamists. “America is the best friend of Islam. It wakes up the sleeping Muslim.”
Score another victory for militant Islam at the hands of your President this holiday season.
* Ms. Pelosi, I implore you, America can’t bear to have this idiot as its leader for another two years. Please do us all a favor and impeach Bush.
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Biden and Palin square off while international intrigue heats up in Africa and the Middle East.
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Yeah, I don’t think the U.S. has much choice here . . . you either get fucked over in a useless African war or let Al Qaeda get set up in another failed state. Eh. Even Dennis Kucinich would look like a turd in this situation.
We’re going to be truly fucked long after Jon Stewart loses the Bush Administration as a source of material. And actually, we’ll probably be fucked long after Comedy Central goes off the air.
Lots of things in this world are depressing. Even stuff that Bush has zero control over.
I don’t think it’s as black and white as that. Maybe it’s too late now, but as recently as last summer there was a legitimate chance to work with the Islamic Courts and attempt to steer them away from the radicals, who were in the minority. Much like Iran throwing off the Shah, the Islamists in Somalia just wanted a better, more stable life. The Administration refused to acknowledge that, prefering to see events in the Horn through their magic prism that makes every complex issue into a black and white dichotomy. Also, I think they were somewhat ashamed to admit that they’d been helping the Baidoa government, some members of which had ties to the warlords who’d given the U.S. das boot in the early ’90s — and which was getting its ass kicked by the Islamists, despite the help of the U.S. and Ethiopia.
Anyway, while it may be too late for the Administration
Oops … continuing …
While it may be too late for the Administration to change course in Somalia, at one time they could’ve made a better choice. They didn’t. Thus, this is in fact another policy failure properly added to Bush’s dark dosier.