Regime change in Mogadishu

It ought to be acknowledged that the United States of America has played a positive role in the return of a semblance of sanity to the Somali capital, Mogadishu. It has done so indirectly and - surprise, surprise - inadvertently.

The US has long looked upon Somalia - the ultimate failed state in Africa, which has had no functioning central government since Mohammed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991 - as a likely hideout for Al Qaeda operatives, particularly those associated with acts of terrorism in East Africa. Somalia's proximity to Yemen has helped to reinforce that impression, leading to the assumption that Islamist elements in Somalia must necessarily have some links with Al Qaeda.

This may not be an entirely spurious line of thinking, but the manner in which the US chose to pre-empt any possible threat serves as yet another reminder of its unwillingness or inability to draw logical conclusions from its previous mistakes. In this case, it chose to align itself with the so-called warlords who had made life a misery for Somalis since the early 1990s and therefore inspired a visceral hatred among their compatriots.

(If you'll excuse a brief digression, it's probably worth noting that the term "warlord" is more or less exclusively reserved for factional military commanders in lands that are generally deemed to have been denied the blessings of civilization. Such usage gives rise to the suspicion that there are racist connotations embedded in the term. Its dictionary definition is "a commander or commander-in-chief, especially where and when the military power is great (now usually derogatory)". In my opinion, the word's descriptive utility can triumph over any offensive implications, provided it is used in a non-discriminatory manner. That, of course, involves acknowledging that the Grand Poo-Bah of all warlords resides in the White House.)

It has been reported that the CIA surreptitiously funnelled funds - and quite possibly weapons - to the "secular" warlords, who had styled themselves as the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. The nomenclature was widely seen as a marketing ploy. The US has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, but officials who refused to be identified have, in conversations with media outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, admitted American attempts to tackle Al Qaeda suspects without direct involvement in the nitty-gritty.

The hands-off approach wasn't a nod to local sensitivities, nor the consequence of a lack of resources: 1,600 US troops are based in neighbouring Djibouti. However, the last time the US intervened directly in Somalia back in 1993, it lost two Black Hawk helicopters and 18 servicemen (it was alleged at one time that Osama bin Laden had a hand in the incident). Almost immediately afterwards, Bill Clinton withdrew all American troops; a year later, the United Nations, too, decided to leave Somalia to its fate.

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