Albany Blog

By: Orlando Bama

In an article titled “Is Somalia the new Afghanistan?” published in the Sunday Times online of 9 August 2009,

" The author with members of the Albany Darfur team in Khartoum"

Jon Swain and Michael Gillard have raised two critical questions about the situation in Somalia: Is Somalia now rivalling Afghanistan as a crucible of terror? If so, what can (and should) be done about it?

Reacting to the article, two readers posted brief comments on the situation in Somalia. The first reader simply stated: “Perhaps if ‘we’ stepped back and let them sort out their own mess, things may turn out for the best in the long run.” The second comment was even more cynical: “Africa is a lost cause and Muslim countries like this seem to be the worst; just look at Sudan.”

These comments seem to reflect the general mood and thinking of the man and woman on the street in most Western countries, particularly in the current global economic recession, and make the case for a vigorous communications campaign to convince the international community that Somalia is worth saving, that “Africa is not a lost cause” and that “stepping back and letting them sort out their own mess” is not an option, because that is not in the best long term strategic interest of any Western nation, including Australia, as recent events have unfortunately demonstrated.

The main reason why Somalia must be saved, in the enlightened self-interest of the West, is that we live in a global, increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. While globalisation may have its benefits – and there are many – unfortunately, 9/11, 7/7 and recent events in Australia have reminded us that a major challenge of the new world order is the stark reality that what happens in Kandahar or Mogadishu has potentially grave consequences for the man and woman on the streets of New York, London and Sydney.

If the West succumbs to the temptation of so narrowly defining its ‘national interests’ to preclude decisive and immediate action on Somalia, on the grounds that Somalia is some distant problem in a messed-up part of the world, it is just a matter of time before the chickens come home to roost. The hundreds of increasingly radicalised young Somalis – British, German, Canadian, US and Australian citizens – who are giving up the comfort and security of life in the West to return home to fight jihad, just might become the suicide pilots of tomorrow who will hijack the next jumbo jets bound for Paris or Berlin. This is not a scare tactic; it is the world in which we live! It has happened before and it can happen again.

Despite the severe global economic recession which has produced generation-high unemployment, scary budget deficits and lots of anxiety about the future, Somalia must become a foreign and defence policy priority for Britain, the United States and all industrialised countries. The long term cost of doing too little or nothing now, could come not in billions of dollars but in thousands of Western lives.

So, the answers to Swain and Gillard’s questions are: Yes, Somalia is fast becoming the new pre-9/11 Afghanistan – a crucible of international terror. And yes, something can and should be done about it… now!

In a recent BBC television interview, the President of the beleaguered government of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed pleaded for help from the international community. He reassured Western public opinion that Somalia does not need British or American troops. Somalis, he went on, have proven that they are good fighters and can defend themselves and liberate their country from the stranglehold of foreign-backed misguided fanatics, who have perverted the essence of a peaceful religion – Islam. All that the Somali government is asking for, said the President, are the resources it needs to take the fight to the jihadis and kick the terrorists out of Somalia.

Western leaders, from Obama to Brown, seem to understand what’s at stake in Somalia. That understanding now needs to be transubstantiated into action.

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Orlando Bama is a journalist and one of our consultants. He is currently reading for a PhD in Communication Studies at the University of Leeds.