Stability in Somalia

The United States’ interests in Somalia are simple: stability. Since 1991, the country’s failed state has been a constant source of frustration. Mostly because of it’s location at the precipice of East Africa and the Middle East, political stability is critical to stemming the tide of radical Islamic movements and the export of terrorism to neighboring African countries.

In this regard, the United States formally recognized the Federal Government of Somalia in 2013. Prior to this, the United States mostly focused on demilitarizing the country and it’s many mines, as well as supporting Ethiopia in it’s 2006 invasion that targeted the Islamic Courts Union. A critical factor in the US recognition of Somalia’s government is its cooperation with the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) – the regional bloc that sets the agenda for state building in the nation.

In recent times, the most prominent US involvement in Somalia was the government’s multilateral work on counter-privacy that has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests and safe passage in the Indian Ocean. The counter-piracy project has been a resounding success.

The United States also supported the AMISOM mission to curb the threat of Al-Shabaab, and eventually also relented to Kenya’s invasion plans in 2011. However, the country has taken on new interest to the US with the belief that Somalia possesses vast oil reserves.

Yet private companies are only willing to invest in crude oil extraction given a secure environment, making Somalia’s political stability all the more important. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has fueled this anticipation by brazenly claiming “the country is now open for business”.

Additionally, the United States has also begun making moves to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Federal Government of Somalia. In November 2015, the Somali government established an embassy in Washington D.C and Secretary of State John Kerry pledged to the same. In fact, Katherine Simonds Dhanani was nominated in February 2015 to be the United States’ ambassador, but she declined for personal reasons and the post remains vacant.

Works Cited:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shank/us-soldiers-in-somalia-an_b_4581667.html

http://www.state.gov/p/us/rm/2014/227079.htm

http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/mattbaugh/2012/02/21/why-a-stable-somalia-is-in-our-interests/

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/somalia-the-next-oil-superpower-12041

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2863.htm