Sheikh Sharif’s election to the Somali presidency early this year raised the hopes and dreams of many Somalis inside and outside of the country who yearned to see one day the return of their nation’s unity and dignity among free nations.  But the President suddenly finds himself barricaded in the besieged Villa Somalia under the protection of the selfless African Union peacekeepers, with all the trappings and failures that foiled other transitional governments of his predecessors. The upcoming visit of President Sheikh Sharif in the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly embodies a golden chance to restore Somalia’s stability and nationhood. To capitalize on such an opportunity, however, the President needs to be forceful in convincing the international community, especially the U.S. that a stable Somalia is also the best interests of the rest of the world, and his government’s struggle against the hard-line Islamic insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda is a universal effort for freedom and against oppression.

For the first time since the collapse of the Somali nation-state, President Sharif has the best chance to lure the full support of the U.S. in restoring the nationhood of Somalia.  At last month’s meeting in Nairobi, Kenya with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Sharif remarked on the occasion as his “Golden Chance.” This is largely due to after two decades of being irresolute about Somalia, the United States lately seems determined to play an active role in tackling the factors that contribute to terrorism and piracy crises in Somalia. In a post-September-11th world, the U.S. cannot afford Somalia to become the next Afghanistan – a safe-haven for Al-Qaeda terrorists. From its recent experience in Iraq, the U.S. also realizes winning in Somalia compels it to understand the changed nature of the Somali conflict it is dealing with and to adapt its strategy appropriately. Simply being ambivalent or nonchalant about the war in the Horn is no longer a viable option.

In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, the President will have to tackle the confounding question: for a small country, what makes the Somali conflict so difficult e to resolve. First, the President should address the root cause of the Somali conflict, which lies in the neglect of the world’s most powerful nations, especially the U.S, of the deteriorating situation of the country for the past two decades. A lasting peace is also hampered by the disastrous interventions of several unhelpful neighboring countries, which constantly fuel the conflict by funneling money, weapons and other supplies to insurgents against his government. Finally, he should make the important linkage between the worsening piracy in the Indian Ocean and the growing strength of the Islamic radicals, including Hizbul Islam and Al-Shabab in the utterly failed state of the Horn.

As the President meets with U.S. President Obama and other important world leaders, he should also stress the two most pressing tasks for his fledging government: To put down the Somali radicals linked to al-Qaeda, namely Al-Shabab insurgency, which has forced tens of thousands from their homes; and to rebuild the country’s crumbled infrastructure in order to create viable opportunities for the youth who are most susceptible of being recruited by the jihadist insurgents. Then he should emphasize that the U.S. support of his government should be more visible and resolute than in previous administrations. It is no longer feasible for the United States to work behind the scenes in helping Somalia. Instead, the U.S. must work closely with the TFG leadership and other helpful nations in the region in order to bring to an end the current predicament in the country.  The United States, for instance could rally in the U.N. to send in Somalia a large enough force to eradicate the radical Islamic militia from the capital and its vicinity in order the TFG do its job.

At home, winning the full support of the U.S. government will mean a great confidence of the TFG government’s effectiveness and ability to rebuild the country. No longer will the Somali people feel ambivalent in support of the TFG and what it can deliver if peace is achieved throughout Somalia.

President Sheik Sharif has a unique opportunity to bring peace and the rule of law back to Somalia. For starters, his opponents are on the wrong side of the Somali history, culture and religion. The puritanical Wahabbi religious ideologies practiced by Al-Shabab and its cohorts of oppressing women and suppressing intellectual debate about religion and governance are foreign to the Somali society. As such, the best strategy for tackling the intransigent Islamic insurgents of Al-Shabab is to expose their hideous ideologies and destructive nature of using foreign fighters and foreign money in their aggression of the Somali people. In other words, the cruel and barbaric acts of the Al-Shabab insurgents towards the people give a great opening for President Sharif to align himself with the Somali people. He should cast these vicious forces for exactly who they are – not disgruntled peace spoilers, but rather fearsome terrorists who are only bent on killing in order to attain power.

What’s required is a new approach to retaliate the un-Islamic ways of Al-Shabab’s tactics of using underage young recruits to commit suicide bombings in their fight against the government and their mistreatment of the people in the towns that they rule, where they carry out with impunity public beheadings of suspected government and aid workers and public amputations of limbs for alleged minor offenses related to theft. President Sheik Sharif has an opportunity to defeat the insurgent militias by creating a viable alternative to counter their harsh ideologies while opening the lines of dialogue with other relatively moderate opposition leadership.  Actually, there are already signs that such a row within Al-Shabab is taking root, where many of their recruits defect them by the dozens. Against this shifting alliance, the transitional government led by President Sheikh Sharif with the help of international community can create jobs and other educational opportunities to rehabilitate these young fighters.

Furthermore, the worsening Somali conflict has finally come to the fore of the international war on terrorism. The U.S. and other developed nations regard Somalia as a growing regional and international crisis which terrorists are using as a launching pad to export terrorism abroad.  As a result, the U.S. is escalating its support, including financial and military aid, to the TFG while also backing the AMISOM peacekeeping forces safeguarding it. President Sheikh Sharif can play an active role in identifying key points of allocating these sources.

The Burden of Opportunity

That said, the odds facing President Sheik Sharif’s fledgling government are daunting, but he has a better chance to tackle the challenges facing the Somali people than any of his predecessors of breaking the long curse of violence and instability that plagued the country for the past two decades.  The biggest danger for President Sharif’s TFG, however, is that, after winning the hearts and minds of the people and the support of the international community, his government to become too complacent, corrupt, and incompetent to deliver its promise due to the kleptomaniac syndrome that affects most self-serving African regimes. What’s expected from President Sharif and his administration is a heightened patriotism and compassion to overcome the desperation and hopelessness caused by many years of catastrophic civil strife. His administration must adopt an extraordinary resilience to promote reconciliation by creating conditions for a long lasting peace. This is the most important approach for advancing a united Somalia, which is at peace with itself and with the rest of the world.

Finally, I would like to highlight the need for the President to address in his much anticipated meeting with the Somalis in the Diaspora in several U.S. cities the vital role the Diaspora can play in rebuilding their native country. The Somali Diaspora around the world has the great potential of advocacy in their respective countries, but most importantly they can commit themselves in filling the enormous vacuum of brain-drain created by their mass exodus from the country for the past two decades. A more peaceful future for Somalia will ultimately depend on Somalis in the Diaspora. The United States could also support the Diaspora outreach efforts of backing volunteers who are willing to work inside Somalia. Empowering Somalis in the Diaspora can be a powerful force on the side of the government, if used strategically.  The realization of this latter objective will ultimately determine rejoining Somalia into the world stage. President Sharif can bridge that transition in setting a good model of himself and that of his government. By the end of the year, therefore, it will be evident if President Sharif took full advantage of all the golden opportunities presented to him.

Heikal Kenneded
Washington D.C.
E-Mail: heikalk@yahoo.com
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