Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country in Eastern Africa that borders the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and neighbors Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. For years, Somalia has been plagued with poverty, famine, violence, and insurgency within its borders. As this country moves forward, its foreign relations, security, and economic growth will play key factors in its future. In order for these factors to flourish, the current threats to the country must be eliminated, or at a minimum, suppressed. Unfortunately, the same threats that Somalia faces also present a threat to neighboring countries and countries in other parts of the world.
Threats
A significant threat to the country of Somalia is the al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist organization known as al-Shabaab. This group is known for using guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics against the Somali Federal Government (SFG), African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeepers (AMISOM), and nongovernmental aid organizations. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for bombings and various types of suicide attacks in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and in central and northern Somalia (The National Counterterrorism Center). They continue to conduct indirect assaults and asymmetric tactics, as well as claim credit for attacks in Kenya, the country that assisted Somalia in attacks against the terror group in 2011 (U.S. Department of State, 2013). The Westgate Shopping Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya has been one of their more recent and prestigious attacks that gained media attention. This attack demonstrated the capabilities of the group’s elite “Suicide Brigade”, and indicated potential consequences for any country that attempts to attacks them in Somalia (AFP, 2013...
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The National Counterterrorism Center. (n.d.). Counterterrorism 2014 Calendar. Retrieved from http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/al_shabaab.html
U.S. Department of State. (2013, May 30). Country Reports on Terrorism 2012. Retrieved from U.S.Department of State Deplomacy in Action: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2012/209979.htm
Waal, A. D. (2103, Oct 3). How Not to Help Somalia. Retrieved Mar 19, 2014, from LRB Blog: http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2013/10/03/alex-de-waal/how-not-to-help-somalia/
Waterman, S. (2013, April 15). Retrieved 03 17, 2014, from The Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/15/americans-think-more-about-terror-crime-study/
Young, S. (2013, Oct 7). Oil companies in Somalia must deal with central govt -Minister. Retrieved 03 16, 2014, from Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/07/somalia-oil-idUKL6N0HX21V20131007
attacks of terrorist cells, such as al-Qaeda. The strategic location of the base in Djibouti, Africa
At first glance, one would not expect to find any similarities between the countries of Somalia and the United States. Even though the differences outweigh similarities, after deeper examination, Somalia and the United States do share a few similarities. These similarities include British rule, Civil War, and acts of domestic terror. A few differences may be government, climate, and military.
In order to understand the full scope of genocide in Somalia and how it will affect other countries, we must understand their culture. This way you can determine if any outside assistance, such as the United States giving aid, would be accepted or unwanted. Cultural knowledge can also give outside countries insight to “how” and “when” relationships can` be established.
Somalia vs United States Somalia, which is about the size of Texas, is a small country located in Eastern Africa, next to the Indian Ocean. The United States, which is located in the Western Hemisphere, is bordered by Mexico and Canada and is between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Separated not only by the Atlantic Ocean, Somalia and the United States are also separated by the differences in economies and populations. These two countries that are quite opposite in size have some similarities in their governments and education systems. Somalia is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries (Campbell).
On November 26th, 2008 a largely unknown terrorist group forced their way into the international consciousness after an armed group of 10 terrorist’s implemented a well-planned, coordinated, and complex assault on the civilian populace of Mumbai. Utilizing Ak-47’s, hand grenades, and communication equipment, the terrorist attackers killed 104 people and injured another 308. For three days the Mumbai government struggled to effectively eliminate the perpetrators of the terrorist attack, which finally ended in a gun battle between the last living attacker and an Indian Commando unit. Only one attacker was captured by police, but the size of the attack and all of the terrorist participant’s commitment to terrorizing the Mumbai population even when surrounded and outnumbered highlights the development of Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT), an organization which has arguably become one of the most powerful global terrorist networks. Over the past 20 years, a combination of religious ideological dogma within the Lashkar-E-Taiba, and a perceived utility within the Pakistani’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), set the conditions which allowed the transnational growth and expansion of Lashkar-E-Taiba. Since its inception, the LeT has become the largest and organized group within Kashmir (Desouza and Tobin 2007, 599). The group’s broad ideological jihadi goals and their global influence make Lashkar-E-Taiba a current threat to the United States, but also the most likely group to conduct a successful large scale significant attack against the United States or Western interests.
U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Bureau of Counterterrorism. Retrieved 05 01, 2014, from U.S. Department of State: Diplomacy in Action: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/
The terrorist threat posed to United States (U.S.) interests within the Horn of Africa (HOA) is represented by one terrorist organization in particular, al-Shabaab. Areas of concern towards key strategic interests for the U.S. consist of armed conflicts, violent extremism, global trade, and maritime security in which al-Shabaab possess an influential capacity to disrupt, which effects political, economic, and social stability throughout region. As countries within the HOA continue to gain strategic importance to U.S. interest and policy makers, al-Shabaab and the various entities they collaborate with affect the stability of the region and remain a prevalent threat.
For approximately the past three decades, a terrorist group has come to plague the world with its activities (Gunaratna, 2002). This group is known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda, when translated means “The Base”. It is a terrorist organization that seeks to remove western influence from the Middle East and spread its radical Islamic views. Al Qaeda’s most prominent leader was Osama bin Laden, until his death during a raid upon his compound in Pakistan. The Al Qaeda’s motivation stems primarily from extreme and deeply rooted religious beliefs. Their most used method of attack is through suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices. This organization has also used chemical warfare and at this time is believed to still actively seek to utilize chemical and biological agents as means to battle.
Somalia, also known as the Democratic Republic of Somalia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Somalia history can be traced back as far as the Paleolithic period. (Funk & Wagnalls, 1900) Ancient structures, ruined cities, and stone walls found in Somalia, is evidence of a country that once thrived with a sophisticated civilization (p. 132). Somalia is a country that was once known for its rich geographical location located near oil wells in the Persian Gulf and a mainstream for international imports and exports along the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
No force has had a greater impact on modern nations and their cultures than imperialism. Imperialism is a policy of extending a nation’s rule over foreign areas by acquiring and holding colonies. During the nineteenth century in particular, imperialism became a trend among wealthy European nations such as Great Britain, France, and Italy, as countries competed to gain resources and expand their empires. In enforcing these policies, imperial powers spread numerous effects over the span of the globe. The question is, were the effects of imperialism beneficial or detrimental to the colonized nations? For the nation of Somalia, it is clear that imperialism was nothing but a perversion of justice, as their bloody post-independence history in particular shows when compared with the peace that existed pre-imperialism. The British and Italian imperial policies proved destructive to the nation of Somalia, as shown by the current absence of governmental stability, lack of economic prosperity, and increasing ethnic conflict.
If the aid does not reach the people in time, suffering will increase and the death toll will mount. If Al-Shabaab continues to exploit the relief agencies, projects and future humanitarian relief efforts will be hindered or stopped all together. An option the United States may consider is set up liaison operations with the Somalia government and the Al-Shabaab leadership. This action can produce valuable intelligence as well as assist humanitarian agencie...
Piombo, J. (2007, January). Terrorism and U.S. Counter-Terrorism Programs in Africa: An Overview. (V. I. Strategic Insights, Interviewer)
Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east. With the longest coastline on the continent, its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. It is made up of the former British Protectorate of Somaliland and Italy’s former Trust Territory of Somalia. Somalia’s modern history began in the late 1800’s, when European powers began to trade and settle in the Somalia area. These events and the events that occurred during the 20th century helped shape the modern Somalia government and culture today.
To understand the demise of Somalia in the 1980’s, it is important to conceive that the 1978-1979 war against Ethiopia turned out to be a failure. The Siad Barre regime hadn’t succeeded in its dream to unify all Somali under one flag and as Isabelle Duyvesteyn (2005) writes “large sections of the Somali populations remained armed” (p.40). Consequently, the regime decided to punish as she writes “ all the officials he (Siad Barre) held responsible for the defeat” (p.40), which according to this scholar initiated turmoil.
Poole, Walter S., The Effort to Save Somalia August 1992 – March 1994 p.20 (2005 August) General format. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/history/somalia.pdf