Horseed Media/WSJ: Somaliland Offers U.S. Military Access to Port, Airfield as It Pushes for Nationhood
Region is seeking to break from Somalia and sees Washington as potentially powerful ally.
Somaliland, a peaceful corner of violent Somalia, is offering the U.S. military use of a seaport and airfield overlooking strategic maritime routes in exchange for steps toward recognizing the region as a sovereign country.
Hoping to capitalize on growing U.S. concern over Chinese expansionism in Africa, Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi is planning a March visit to Washington, where he is expected to explore American interest in using the facilities in Berbera. The city sits on the Gulf of Aden, a key route linking the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.
“The president would definitely welcome a U.S. presence and protection of the waterways,” Somaliland Foreign Minister Essa Kayd said in an interview.
“America should react very urgently,” Mr. Kayd said.
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WNU Editor: In a region that is gripped by war, Somaliland is at peace. But its neighbors want to change that .... Is Ethiopia Preparing for War on Somaliland? (National Interest).
Is Ethiopia Preparing for War on Somaliland? (National Interest).
ReplyDeleteThe is a price for not supporting the Tigrayans.
Why should the US or ANYONE be recognizing independence groups? Isn't that what we have the UN for? The US could shepherd a statehood application although that is fraught with quid pro quo too.
ReplyDeleteThe idea Somiland makes you think of Taiwan being recognized or not by the UN. It is not. It shows the the bankruptcy of the UN. For that matter Crimea is ignored by the UN and Russia. Russia would have a vested interest or ulterior motive for Crimean statehood being recognized by the UN. So would 67% of the population that is Russian. About 67% of the population has been Russian since the 1950s. Crimea could be granted statehood by the UN after plebiscite and then could petition to join Russia much as East Germany petitioned to join West Germany.
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Crimea was taken by armed force. Maybe not much blood, but nonetheless by force. You cannot look to the paucity of blood to downplay the amount of force. Monkeys and other hominids can count. They can gage the overall force correlation and the mismatch is so great that fighting or no fighting the political result will be the same, but with fighting there is much, much more blood.
The beauty of ascension was that East Germany petitioned to join West Germany. There was no coercion. You could say the economic plight of East Germany was coercion. you could. but Russia could have sent monetary aid and the East Germans could have tightened their belts. there was a true choice. Point is it will be hard in the future to fracture Germany over based on some unfairness based n military conquest. Crimea and Russia cannot assert the same.
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Why must there be one unified ethno-state of Somalis? Why can't there be 3 states, Somiland, Puntland and the rest? Three states might develop faster economically and politically. It would not be a dictator, king tyrant or call-it-what-you-will aggrandizing his capital or hometown by impoverishing the rest of the country. Over time those state would or might unite. First it would have the same commercial law and regulations. That would come naturally through trade. Having the same commercial laws, language and religion the people might easily vote for unification. But laws, commerce, the economy overall would be better developed. Somalia might go farther faster by being three countries and then uniting at a later date.
As is typically no one comments much on articles about Africa. African Americans? Nyet. Caring liberals? Nyet?
ReplyDeletePush 3 well maintained 3 to 5 interstates or highways through Central African Republic, Congo and Angola with a a large volume of truck traffic and watch the continent boom.
"Push 3 to 5 well maintained interstates or highways through Central African Republic, Congo and Angola... "
ReplyDelete*Additional lattice work will pretty much spontaneously self-generate from there.