Dec. 14: Africa's Other Crisis
Prevent War: Africa's Other Crisis
December 14, 2007
This edition of the Prevent War email list focuses on Somalia, a weak and failing state in the Horn of Africa that's been embroiled in conflict for 17 years. By examining this specific crisis, we can better understand the problems that often plague weak states and suggest an alternative model to support peace and stability in Somalia.
Topics in this message:
- Somalia's story of failed military responses
- Take Action: Support the International Affairs budget and Civilian Peacebuilders
- Additional Readings
- New Resources at Fcnl.org
1) Somalia's story of failed military responses
Somalia - not Darfur - is host to the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa, according to some United Nations officials. The number of people displaced by war has risen to a staggering one million people since Ethiopian troops invaded last winter. The level of open violence against civilian populations still in the capital, Mogadishu, is unprecedented, according to Christian Balslev-Olesen, the UNICEF representative for Somalia. Due to violent clashes between the Ethiopian troops and Islamist militias, ordinary civilians find it difficult to access medical services and food.
Somalia has been plagued by violent conflict for the past seventeen years. After militias overthrew the Somali government in 1991, the U.S. deployed thousands of soldiers to Somalia to help distribute aid. The mission ended abruptly after U.S. soldiers were besieged in Mogadishu while trying to capture warlords. Since then, a succession of warlords and militias has risen to power by force, only to lose power or be killed within months.
The pattern changed last December, when Ethiopian troops - with support from U.S. intelligence, Navy, and Air Force - invaded Somalia to oust the latest Muslim regime. While Ethiopian officials declared their intent to stay only a week, the troops have been drawn into a bloody insurgency fighting the Islamist militias, reminiscent of the U.S. situation in Iraq. People in the Middle East perceive that Somalia is only the latest front for Bush's war on Islam, according to Colin Thomas-Jensen of the Washington-based Enough Project (see "The War on Terror's Newest Front," link below).
What Should the International Community Do?
Somalia needs political and diplomatic engagement by the international community, not exclusively a military response. Listed below are steps that the international community could take to support peace and security in Somalia proposed by Somalia expert Ahmed Samatar:
- Ensure that civilians have access to basic services by urging all parties to adhere to international law regarding the treatment of civilians and displaced persons in violent conflict.
- Start a process to replace the Ethiopian troops with a legitimate African Union or United Nations peacekeeping force.
- Re-start an inclusive political process to achieve a new legitimate governing authority in Somalia.
- Invest in a massive "Marshall-like" project to rebuild the country.
For more ideas, see the transcript of a recent insightful edition of PBS's News Hour on the situation in Somalia.
The situation in Somalia is extremely insecure and poses considerable security threats to civilian workers. Yet, when the situation becomes more stable, Somalia will be desperate for technical assistance to rebuild the country. History has shown that when countries aren't 'put back together' after violent conflict, they tend to fall back into war, continuing a vicious cycle of violence. In order to ensure that Somalia can reach a lasting peace, the international community needs to be ready - with the right tools and the right people - to help Somalia rebuild.
At FCNL, we actively lobby members of Congress to create the tools that are needed to help states rebuild and break out of the vicious cycle of conflict. Specifically, we lobby for a bill to authorize the creation of a U.S. civilian reserve corps, or "civilian peace builders," to address the underlying causes of violence in weak and failing states. We continue to lobby for a robust international affairs budget that fully funds the US contribution to the UN, and provides generous resources for key development and diplomatic programs abroad run by U.S. civilian agencies. Take action and find more information below.
Learn More:
Somalia: Number of displaced rises to one million(UN High Commission on Refugees, Nov. 20)
Battles wipe out Mogadishu's basic services (Mail & Guardian, Dec. 10)
2)A. Take Action: Support a Robust International Affairs budget
The U.S. cannot engage diplomatically if there's no money for diplomats! Funding for diplomats and international development is funded through the federal government via the 'international affairs budget' or 150 account. Support U.S. civilian engagement in weak and failing states like Somalia, by urging your member of Congress to support a robust international affairs budget. Urge her or him to sign a letter to President Bush asking him to increase international affairs funding in his budget request for the coming fiscal year.
B. Take Action: Support Civilian Peacebuilders
Thank you for past efforts on the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (H.R. 1084)! In the past few months, we have picked up 5 co-sponsors, due almost entirely to efforts by FCNL constituents. Reps. Tom Latham (IA), Janice Schakowsky (IL), Frank Wolf (VA), Rich Boucher (VA), and Sen. Susan Collins (ME) are the newest cosponsors. If you have not yet written your member of Congress, please urge them to cosponsor this bill, take action now.
The Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (H.R. 1084) would provide the U.S. with a civilian response to meet the needs of weak and failing states by addressing the underlying causes of violence. For more info on H.R. 1084.
3) Additional Readings
A Prisoner to Primacy: Carl Conetta (Project on Defense Alternatives)
According to Conetta, the failure of the "marketplace of ideas" resulted in the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The framework of the war on terrorism has stifled the U.S. imagination, and "stupefied the U.S. policy debate." The resulting trend has been the primacy of the Pentagon in making U.S. foreign policy or, the militarization of U.S. foreign policy.
The War on Terror's Newest Front: David Case (Mother Jones)
According to freelance journalist David Case, U.S. policy in Somalia has led to a bloody "Iraq-like" counter-insurgency with aims to force out U.S. backed Ethiopian troops. The use of Improvised Explosive Devises - a weapon not employed in Somalia since the Ethiopian invasion - is more prevalent, and 2007 will likely be the bloodiest year in Somalia since 1991.
4) New Resources at Fcnl.org
End of the Year Funding Priorities: Make the World Safer
This letter urges members of Congress to include provisions banning cluster bombs, generously funding the peaceful resolution of conflict in Africa; increasing funding for the UN; increasing funding for nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and not including funds for the Reliable Replacement Warhead in any final spending bill sent to the president.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges a "Dramatic Increase" in Diplomacy and Development
In recent years, senior officials in the Defense Department have increasingly recognized that the U.S. drastically needs a substantial increase in its international affairs account for diplomacy and development. Defense Secretary Gates is the most recent and most senior official at the Pentagon to call for such an increase.
Senator Richard Lugar's Speech on Renewing America's Moral Compass
On December 9th, Senator Lugar, Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the most respected voices on foreign policy, gave an impassioned speech on "Reinvigorating U.S. Moral Identity in the World." Read the full text on FCNL's website.