Beltway Confidential

The world can learn from how Somaliland overcame militias

By Michael Rubin
Published March 21, 2019 2:11pm ET
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The world can learn from how Somaliland overcame militias
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct ,13. 2010, gymnasts perform at a trade fair in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Somaliland officials say the U.S. and the international community have wasted too much time and money on Mogadishu instead of supporting a struggling but democratically elected government in Somaliland in northern Somalia. | (Jason Straziuso/AP)

Over at The American Conservative, Michael Horton highlights Somaliland as “a success story without billions and bombs.” He writes:

“The autonomous but unrecognized Republic of Somaliland has also eradicated piracy from its shores and thwarted the jihadist group al-Shabaab’s expansion within its borders. Somalia hasn’t managed any of this, despite the billions of dollars expended by the international community over nearly two decades. Rather than spending money it has never had on advanced weaponry, drones, and a large unwieldy army, Somaliland has instead focused on the two things that always form the backbone of successful counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency: good governance and reliable human intelligence.”

Horton is right. The United States is spending $900 million this year on Somalia without much to show for it. The appointed government in Mogadishu is now ranked by Transparency International as the world’s most corrupt country, worse than even Yemen, North Korea, and Venezuela. Somaliland’s resources are not unlimited (they spend one-third of their $350 million budget on defense and security) but even a fraction (say $20 million) of what U.S. taxpayers send to Somalia could go a long way to enhancing Somaliland’s security anchor role in the region.

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Tag:

Africa Donald Trump Somalia United Nations