This is an op-ed I wrote a few months ago. Its still relevant today, unfortunately, because not much progress has been made in Somalia.
Cleaning the Slate for a New Somalia Policy
The US recently threw its support behind Somalia’s newly appointed president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the former chairman of the Islamic Courts Union. Yes, the same Islamic Courts Union that the US-backed Ethiopian army toppled two years ago. What’s with the change of heart?
The Obama administration appears to be making the desperately needed changes to US-Somalia policy, a policy that has been disastrous for both Somalia’s stability and US objectives. Human Rights Watch recently blamed the US-backed Ethiopian occupation and the subsequent insurgency for causing the humanitarian catastrophe that Somalia now faces. The report criticized the Bush administration’s policies for “breeding the very extremism that it is supposed to defeat”. The report went on to say “The new administration of US President Barack Obama should urgently review U.S. policy in Somalia and the broader Horn of Africa and break with the failed approach of his predecessor.”
What are the failed policies that HRW is criticizing? Primarily the support of Ethiopia’s two year long occupation of Somalia. It’s hard to believe the US and Ethiopia thought it possible to impose an unpopular government on the Somali people. Nevertheless, the Bush administration did just that by supporting the installation of the Transitional Federal Government of Abdullahi Yusuf. Because his government was brought in by foreign forces, it fell apart as the Ethiopian army withdrew.
The Bush administration also appeared to follow a policy of state building as a tactic in counter-terrorism in Somalia, a disastrous policy for many reasons. US policy was working off the assumption that failed states are potential safe havens for terrorists, hence the need for state building in Somalia. State building is important to help stabilize the country, but it must be a Somali-led enterprise, and any US engagement should be diplomatic rather than military. Robert Pape’s research revealed suicide terrorism is most common in response to perceptions of foreign occupation. This reveals the potential for military occupations to antagonize and radicalize populations, as it did in Iraq and Somalia.
Establishing a stable, successful government is no easy task for President Sheikh Sharif. Divisive clan-based politics, beginning in the colonial era, has resulted in Somalis being extremely wary of having a leader other than one of their own clan members, for fear of being marginalized or persecuted. Sheikh Sharif will have to work hard towards creating unity and garnering trust from the population.
Sheikh Sharif also faces opposition from multiple factions vying for power within the country, and one particularly troublesome group is the radical group Al-Shabab, a militia which grew strength fighting Ethiopian troops for the past two years. Sheikh Sharif has already been in contact with Al-Shabab leadership, trying to gain their support and avoid unnecessary conflict. The best way for him to alienate extremists and create a stable government is to bridge the divisions among Somali clans, businessmen, civil society and religious leaders. There must be a mechanism for reconciliation and power sharing among the different clan leaders as well as other political groups, and the US can play a role in facilitating such reconciliation.
There is much hope among Americans and Somalis that the Obama administration will have a more intelligent Africa policy in the coming years, one which recognizes the mistakes of the Bush administration so that the failed policies are not repeated. The support of Sheikh Sharif is a positive step, and now we must wait and see if the Obama administration cleans its slate of failed policies, or goes back to the failed policies of the previous administration.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
another poem
I've started looking online for more poetry about Somalia and/or conflict. I found an amazing poem by Francis Duggan, an Australian writer, on http://somalipoets.blogspot.com/
This poem really puts our lives into perspective. We might not be as rich as the 'Mr. Big' referenced in the poem, but we know that we can give more to those suffering daily in Somalia and around the world.
Out there on the plains of Somalia a young woman on the ground lay
Her three babies have died of the hunger and death from her not far away
For weeks on end she has been starving in a land for years ravaged by drought
And Mr Big in his ferrari with his wife is driving about.
Out there on the plains of Somalia the sun baked earth is cracked and dry
And it hasn't rained for six months there and sun blazing in the blue sky
And poor woman dying of starvation lay huddled listless on the ground
And flies who smell death in their millions above her keep buzzing around
And Mr big and his wife in a posh restaurant with their wealthy mates are out to dine
One hundred dollars a plate for dinner and two hundred for a bottle of wine
Whilst out on the plains of Somalia the vultures circle in the sky
The smell of death is in their nostrils as they wait for a woman to die.
Out there on the plains of Somalia the river bed dry as a bone
And a young woman dying of thirst and hunger she's even too weak for to moan
And Mr Big and his wife and two children are having a great holiday
In a high class resort by the ocean six thousand for two weeks he pay.
Out there on the plains of Somalia in the searing heat of mid day
A young woman dying of thirst and hunger the life from her ebbing away
The vultures are circling above her and the flies of death buzzing around
And Mr Big in his ferrari to his company board meeting bound.
This poem really puts our lives into perspective. We might not be as rich as the 'Mr. Big' referenced in the poem, but we know that we can give more to those suffering daily in Somalia and around the world.
Out there on the plains of Somalia a young woman on the ground lay
Her three babies have died of the hunger and death from her not far away
For weeks on end she has been starving in a land for years ravaged by drought
And Mr Big in his ferrari with his wife is driving about.
Out there on the plains of Somalia the sun baked earth is cracked and dry
And it hasn't rained for six months there and sun blazing in the blue sky
And poor woman dying of starvation lay huddled listless on the ground
And flies who smell death in their millions above her keep buzzing around
And Mr big and his wife in a posh restaurant with their wealthy mates are out to dine
One hundred dollars a plate for dinner and two hundred for a bottle of wine
Whilst out on the plains of Somalia the vultures circle in the sky
The smell of death is in their nostrils as they wait for a woman to die.
Out there on the plains of Somalia the river bed dry as a bone
And a young woman dying of thirst and hunger she's even too weak for to moan
And Mr Big and his wife and two children are having a great holiday
In a high class resort by the ocean six thousand for two weeks he pay.
Out there on the plains of Somalia in the searing heat of mid day
A young woman dying of thirst and hunger the life from her ebbing away
The vultures are circling above her and the flies of death buzzing around
And Mr Big in his ferrari to his company board meeting bound.
A poem
A young Somali brother wrote this poem. He's only in high school but based on his writing, he is wise beyond his years and more motivated than most adults to be a positive change agent in Somalia someday.
Apathy, A Pity
It seems the rain falls in sync with my emotional content
It’s not the dark clouds, the loud sounds, nor the branches bent
I don’t think about me, think about money, or waist time with superficiality
Because in my heart I’ll always see none other than the poor man’s reality
When Somalia’s name is mentioned on the news, on T.V., why must we turn a blind eye?
When there was once a time when our people needn’t cry, nor die
The time has arrived not to forget the past, rather to reconstruct it
Keeping in mind our potential, our future, please, don’t be reluctant
Somalia will someday, inshallah, become the greatest of nations
Home not just to us but to beige, blue and Asian
Because you see, discrimination is the purest form of hatred
And in your heart I hope lies only good, purity, and cupid
Go ahead, go to Starbucks, have a cup of coffee, chat
But the next time you spend that 5 dollars, just remember that-
The day Somalia rises is the day the Diaspora stand up
The day we raise our standards, give back, no hands up
You see we all want to help, we can claim we do, or claim we don’t
But keep in mind, the suffering extends beyond your family, your tribe, your old home
So instead of thinking about the problems, dreaming solutions, and clinging on to your apathy
Remember, you can make a difference, you can save a life, you can truly help.
I try, and I’m just six-teen
Apathy, A Pity
It seems the rain falls in sync with my emotional content
It’s not the dark clouds, the loud sounds, nor the branches bent
I don’t think about me, think about money, or waist time with superficiality
Because in my heart I’ll always see none other than the poor man’s reality
When Somalia’s name is mentioned on the news, on T.V., why must we turn a blind eye?
When there was once a time when our people needn’t cry, nor die
The time has arrived not to forget the past, rather to reconstruct it
Keeping in mind our potential, our future, please, don’t be reluctant
Somalia will someday, inshallah, become the greatest of nations
Home not just to us but to beige, blue and Asian
Because you see, discrimination is the purest form of hatred
And in your heart I hope lies only good, purity, and cupid
Go ahead, go to Starbucks, have a cup of coffee, chat
But the next time you spend that 5 dollars, just remember that-
The day Somalia rises is the day the Diaspora stand up
The day we raise our standards, give back, no hands up
You see we all want to help, we can claim we do, or claim we don’t
But keep in mind, the suffering extends beyond your family, your tribe, your old home
So instead of thinking about the problems, dreaming solutions, and clinging on to your apathy
Remember, you can make a difference, you can save a life, you can truly help.
I try, and I’m just six-teen
More Images from Dadaab Refugee Camp
As tragic as the situation in Dadaab is for the refugees, its painful to remember that the living conditions of those who were unable to escape Ogaden or Somalia are much worse. At least the refugees in Dadaab receive food rations, however insufficient they may be. And at least there is relative security in Dadaab, a peace that many Somalis have never seen in their homecountry. Dadaab still feels like an open-air prison, but at least food is served in prison.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)