Empathy: A lesson from McNamara

I recently watched 'The Fog of War', a documentary in which former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara shares candidly his recollections and personal thoughts on episodes in his life. I truly believe an understanding and application of his lessons would greatly improve US policy towards Somalia and around the world, and would decrease the incidence of war.

Most people associate McNamara with the atrocities of the Vietnam war, and cold-calculations that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of American soldiers and millions of Vietnamese. In his life McNamara was also an associate professor at Harvard, president of Ford Motor company, and president of the World Bank.

In the film McNamara offers several lessons that he learned in his years, and one was particularly striking to me.

Lesson 1: "Empathize with your enemies"

This is a very valuable lesson but unfortunately many policy makers are not sufficiently empathetic to their enemies. To be sure, empathy is not sympathy. To empathize with an opponent is to step into their shoes and try to see the world as they see it. Empathizing is valuable because it allows you to understand your opponent, the way they see the world or a particular conflict, and the way they rationalize decisions.

During the Cuban Missile crisis, McNamara said one of the reasons the crisis was averted was because Llewellyn Johnson, one of JFK's advisers, had lived in Russia and knew the culture and people relatively well. When JFK received the infamous two letters from Khrushchev, Johnson encouraged the President to ignore the public (more angry) letter, and only respond to the private letter. This was the right move.

McNamara admitted that no one in LBJ's circle had experience or knowledge of Vietnamese culture or a strong sense of the history. They were unable to empathize or understand Vietnamese motivations and strategies during the war. Consequently, the US's overtures to reach a treaty with the Vietcong were often ignored, to the bewilderment of the government. Vietnamese officials later stated that they could not go to a negotiating table with the US while bombs fell regularly on their villages and the US was engaging in "genocide" against its people. The continued bombing suggested to the Vietnamese that the US wanted to completely destroy the North and all opposition, and dominate the land the way the Chinese and French had tried to do historically. It wouldn't take a tremendous amount of empathy to realize that this would be the perception on the Vietnamese side, and the US could have taken tangible steps to quell that perception and move towards an agreement.

Applying this lesson to Somalia

Empathy is needed today just as much as ever. Bush's 'global war on terror' desperately lacked empathy, as it lumped together as "terrorists" diverse groups of people with very different motivations and conflicts.  In the case of Somalia, their is so little understanding of the country by actors around the world that the policies towards the country are often misguided and more harmful than beneficial.

Take for example what I consider to be one of the worst policy decisions by the Bush administration- the support for the Ethiopian occupation that forced out the Islamic Courts Union. There was such an utter lack of empathy on the part of those who made the decision. They made exaggerated (and largely un-proven) claims about the ICU's connections to al-Qaeda and the danger the government posed to the region. It was a policy that considered all Islamist governments to be the same, regardless of where they are located and how they came to power.

The US ignored the popularity of the ICU, their success at establishing stability in a war-torn country and their moderate approach. Instead the US supported the ouster of the ICU, and this directly lead to the Ethiopian occupation, the rise of the radicalized al-Shabab insurgency, and the subsequent abyss that Somalia is in today. The US realized this 'mistake' by the time Obama came to office, and is now trying desperately to reinstall the former head of the ICU- Sheikh Sharif- into power. The entire situation and context in Somalia has drastically changed, so no one should expect Sheikh Sharif to re-create what the ICU was able to do a few years ago.

The failure to empathize- to really understand the perspective and motivations of the ICU when it first came to power- led the US to make one of the worst foreign policy blunders ever. A blunder that has resulted in dire consequences for Somalia today, and can lead to instability around the globe if the conflict is not resolved soon. Hopefully the US will learn from this mistake- learn from McNamara's first lesson- and be sure to really know its opponent before subscribing value judgements that can turn out to be false. When its war, peace and human lives we are dealing with, policy makers cannot afford to make mistakes.

Asha Hagi Elmi on Somalia

Once in a while I encounter a person whose strength and passion for a cause inspires me. This happened recently when I attended a talk by Asha Hagi Elmi, a woman I believe every African, every Muslim and every Woman should know about.

Asha Hagi Elmi is an international peace activists who focuses primarily on her homeland Somalia. She is a member of parliament and was a key player in the push to promote women's representation in the Somali government. Her efforts have earned her several awards, including the Clinton Global Citizenship award and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Asha founded the Sixth Clan, an organization of Somali women who seek to break through the patriarchal structure of the Somali traditional clan system, and current government. The Sixth Clan successfully pushed through a quota system for womens representation in Somalia's parliament. The quota started out at 25 women- which at such a time when no women were in parliament, was thought an ambitious goal. Today, there are 33 women in Somalia's parliament, and 3 female cabinet-level ministeres. This progress was made possible by the hard work and restless dedication of Asha Hagi and the women in her organization.

Asha stated at the talk that her group "gives voice to the voiceless". She was able to do this because of her determination and drive. She could be told no a hundred times over, but that never stopped Asha and her group from pushing their cause forward.

What I particularly enjoyed about Asha's talk was how she didn't focus too narrowly on the plight of women in Somalia, even though women's issues are especially popular among western audiences. Asha successfully described the conditions in Somalia today as being disastrous for men, women, boys, girls, the old and the young. All Somalis face a humanitarian disaster and require emergency assistance.

She called Somalia today a case of "neglected humanity". The world stands by as the Somali people suffer largely in silence. Their stories are going untold. The only popular news coming out of Somalia involves terrorism and piracy, while little attention is given to starvation, famine and poverty.

Asha made the astute link between the lack of opportunities of Somali youth and the desire to become pirates or insurgents. She stated "If a mother cannot feed with one meal her seven sons, she has no control over them." These boys go out to find their own food, their own livelihood. And consequently, are drawn into piracy and insurgent activity as a means of living. This is the tragedy Somali youth face.

Looking forward, Asha emphasizes education and economic empowerment as mechanisms to move Somalia forward. These are wise strategies because they do not necessarily require a functioning central government, and so can be carried out at any point. The problem with many strategies for Somalia is that they often require a functioning central government, and suddenly, the focus becomes one of state-building rather than peace-building.

Asha is an inspiration to me and many others. Her work is valuable, but she is getting older. There is a need for a new generation of Somali women to take the lead and continue the good work Asha has begun.

Op-ed on Obama and Somalia policy

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.

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.

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

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.

Images from Dadaab

I'm posting images from my trip to Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya. It was very difficult for me to see the conditions of the refugees first-hand and hear their stories, but the experience was invaluable. It solidified my passion to do something positive in the Horn of Africa, to be a humanitarian in some capacity. I overcame my fear of inadequacy because I realized it doesn't take very much to make a difference in a place like Dadaab. Now I just have to figure out how I should help