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President Barack Hussein Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
by Heikal Kenneded
April 16, 2009
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing this letter to raise my profound concern for the piracy off the Somali coast. As a Somali American, like so many others throughout the world, I find these desperate acts by Somali youths - hijacking ships traveling on the Indian Ocean, nothing else but a cry for help. As you are fully aware, Somalia is an utterly failed state in which there’s virtually no infrastructure, education, nor employment because there's been no effective central government for the past two decades. In effect, the self-perpetuating violence has facilitated lawlessness to flourish throughout the country. In a failed Somali state, piracy has become the last resort for survival for many unemployed young people. In fact, piracy threatens Somalia more than any other nation in the world by depriving the country’s poorest of much needed food aid.
Previous U.S. administrations went the wrong way about untangling the failed Somali state by either turning a deaf ear to the country’s total collapse, or by engaging in unnecessary proxy wars that caused the loss of life and displacement of thousands of people. These wrong policies eventually backfired and emboldened religious fundamentalists linked to Al-Qaeda and other extremist elements in the country that are determined to Talibanize Somalia.
The upcoming Somali donors’ conference in Brussels, Belgium, at which the US will be represented by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is definitely a step in the right direction. Like many intractable crises around the world, the U.S. and the world community should, in this case, use more carrots than sticks in resolving the Somali piracy situation. In a country with a history of clan feud and religious intolerance, there are no easy fixes. In other words, stabilizing Somalia should not also be all about engagement and generous aid, but it should also involve accountability in bringing to justice those who are bent on killing the innocent and profiteering from the status quo of violence and lawlessness.
I am fully aware that, with a deteriorating global economic crisis, and enduring challenges in other hot zones around the world, unraveling the Somali piracy crisis will need to compete with a host of other priorities on your agenda. However, as you work on other global priorities, I would urge you to review policy reform in regards to fighting terrorism and piracy in the Horn of Africa, and in your engagement with progressive leaders in both the Somali Diaspora and from Somalia.
In conclusion, I recognize it’s tempting to send more naval warships to fight off piracy and keep the sea-lanes in the in the Indian Ocean a little bit safer , but it would not be wise because this might escalate the violent attacks of merchant ships along the Gulf of Aden. Instead, the long term solution to Somalia’s deep ailments is achieved by engaging other helpful nations in the Horn and effective Somali leaders to establish a peaceful nation with itself and with the rest of the world community. Finally, a stable Somali nation-state, with a strong army, will eventually deprive the pirates of safe sanctuary to hide and carry out their illegal activities. At the same time, the Somali people will no longer starve because of such disruption of aid and commerce to the country.
Sincerely yours,
Heikal Kenneded
Washington D.C.
[email protected]