by Omar Moalim
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The United States is at least as of now, the undisputed superpower of the world that shapes the international order through which countries conduct their internal businesses and with each other. As manifested by her policy towards poor Somalia, the US has the lowest regard for Somalia as a country.
The US foreign policy towards the developing countries is designed to advance the political, military and economic interests of the United States. Any developing country that deals with the US accepts all Dos and DON’Ts that are given by the US but that country is in return allowed to exist as a sovereign country and keep one color on the world map.
Since a democratically elected sovereign stable government will never ever allow a foreign country to exploit its people and country, the US supports either of two regimes in any developing country. Either an ally tyranny dictator whose government is stable but rules with an iron fist and is allergic to ballot boxes, OR an impotent puppet that leads a transitional government and whose country remains in a vicious cycle of violence. Israel is an exception!
Egypt and Somalia provide perfect examples of these two regimes. Egypt is one of the strategic pillars that uphold the American hegemony in the world therefore it is too important to be unstable. Somalia on the other hand is like a God given purpose build strategic asset that is too good to be had in her current status for America but has zero importance as a sovereign united country.
Poor Somalia’s map has a color for Somaliland, one for Puntland one for Shababland and the remaining if any for Somalia. And that is not the end; Somalia’s map will have more different colors because of the US policy called “Dual truck policy” which guarantees economic assistance and diplomatic relations to any group in Somalia if they defy the weak government.
Somalia started its young history as a sovereign nation with clan dominated administrations and as a result of that dominance descended into anarchy in 40 years. Being a member of the dominant clan gave an automatic birth right of being superior to others in many ways with entitlements and opportunities that others could not avail. These administrations created wrong perceptions of governance by promoting tribalism rather than nationalism in that country.
Instead of respecting Somalia’s sovereignty, the United States’ so called ‘’Dual Truck Policy” is encouraging Somalia’s big clans to pursue the old mentality of dominating governments. Instead of assisting Somalia in having a government that helps its people realize their aspiration of being equal citizens with equal rights in their virgin country, the US is tearing Somalia into pieces.
The US foreign policy aims to create clan dominated Ethiopian dependent weak administrations with multiple geographical disputes. But if a clan can get economic assistance, direct diplomatic relation and military aid from the world’s supper power what else do they need?
Why is the US doing this to Somalia? Is it the old doctrine of divide and rule or revenge for the past actions of some of her past power-hungry poor generals? Probably both, or may be the US has recently developed a new theory in the governance of primitive societies and wants to see that theory in practice. We don’t know but for now the “multi track policy” or the Dual Track policy as the US calls it, seems to make some Somali clans and the US government equally happy.
Somalis know the history of their clans more than that of their country and are not that much optimistic about the future. Contrary to this, Egyptians are proud people with a 7000 year history and can never be approached with cheap tactics like Egypt Land as a country and Cairo Land as another. Their vision for their country does not conform to the one America desires and survival of the fittest is the rule of today’s world!
To promote these two cruel forms of governments, the US employs many tactics in a hidden way which is very difficult to understand. These tactics include investing in the infrastructure of lawlessness, embezzlement, zero-accountability and funding government rebels.
I do not intend to degrade the US but during President Abdullahi Yusuf’s government, the US was engaging warlords in Mogadishu and was funding militias. At that time, one of these warlords was hosting the Somali president and prime minster in a situation which resembled a house arrest in JOWHAR. Is the US funding Al Shabaab now? We hope not!
The Egyptian army is systematically oppressing the pro-democracy protesters and foreign journalists and will help keep dictators in power in Egypt. The US continues giving aid to this army but will certainly stop when Egypt becomes a democratic country!
The US also supports the exponential growth of Somalia’s parliament and supports the UN to pay 550 Parliament members who sell their votes to legislate anything the US desires. Experts say Somalia needs less than 50 efficient legislators. The salary of an MP is enough to hire 10 policemen or more in Somalia, the US however needs cheap legislators and not law enforcers there.
Now more than ever before Somalia’s TFG looks like a winning team. They started paying the police and the armed forces to improve the security situation. They have promised transparency and accountability. The president and the prime minster have just begun implementing a strategy to defeat ALshabaab and the pirates who are ruining Somalia’s image. Somalia’s neighboring countries (IGAD) like the status quo and are now directly intervening by extending the mandate of the most corrupted institution in the country.
If people march to the streets as (Egyptians have done now) and keeping the status quo becomes tough for the US, they will argue that dangerous extremists will highjack Egypt in to the unknown. The objective is to scare the Egyptians and showcase Husni Mubarak and his like minded men as supermen who can save Egypt from becoming a terrorist state or a failed one.
Thanks to the “Dual Truck policy” the US has many more weapons to keep the status quo in Somalia. These weapons include, The UN, Puntland, Warlords and powerful Ethiopia.
The UN says, the TFG has done little in securing the country. If 12000 heavily armed African Union Forces cannot secure the capital what on earth are they doing in Mogadishu? Black Water and its sister Saracen international are now eager to join the AU forces in the business of shooting civilians to kill. The Dual Truck Policy” is designed to paralyze the TFG and encourages certain elements to act in ways that hinder the progress of the TFG.
Governor (Abdirahman Farole) of Puntland thinks the Somali prime minster and the president are just two members of Puntland’s local cabinet with an extra task of securing the lion’s share from the international community’s aid to Somalia for Puntland. He is the first among many bullies threatening the TFG.
Former and current warlords also get their guns ready. An example is the invincible outlaw (YUSUF SIYAD INDHA CADE) who finds himself in every administration perhaps to the pleasure of Somalia’s enemies of peace or to discount the level of hope from Somalis. He is there to stay with his own militia from his sub clan to foil any attempt of restoring security to Somalia. If this is not enough, Ethiopia is always there as a backup.
So what will it take to break the status quos? The only way is perhaps for Egypt to have two presidents! One appointed by the United States and the other one democratically elected by the people of Egypt. But how could two presidents work? Well you can assume that they are one. That is to say: 1+1=1. Don’t worry if you cannot understand this equation I will explain a little later
Somalia’s case is obviously more complicated than Egypt. To prevent the United States from tearing her into pieces, Somalia needs to appoint three presidents that can be counted as one: Current president and the Presidents of Somaliland and Puntland. That is 1+1+1 =1. This will be easy for the western world to understand because the first pillar of their Christian faith is “TRINITY” which says that there are three GODS but these three are one. Or simply: 1+1+1=1.
These mathematical equations or inequalities are very confusing and almost impossible to understand but if someone comes up with miracle solutions, Egypt will remain Egypt and Christianity will be less confusing. But Somalia will still need to solve two more problems.1: There is the cash obsessed SHARIIF SAKIIN who acts like the hyena calves that suck their mother when she is alive and eat her dead body when she dies. 2: There is also AL SHABAB who doesn’t recognize the following important words: International borders, national flags, President, Parliament, prime minster, minster and the United Nations.
Omar Moalim
Email: [email protected]