Editorial: The West Needs Somaliland More Than Somaliland Needs The West

Republic of Somaliland 

In the last few weeks, western governments changed the balance of power between Somaliland and Somalia to the detriment of Somaliland. They did this when the US recognized the government of Somalia without Somalia’s government rescinding its claim that Somaliland is part of it. They also did it without taking any meaningful diplomatic gesture toward Somaliland. US action has incensed the people of Somaliland and to many Somalilanders this action by the US is seen as a blow to their interests.  

Having not yet absorbed the shock-effect of this reckless action by the US, a step which will most likely come back to haunt it, the British government issued a warning to its citizens alerting them of a potential terrorist threat in Somaliland without consulting, or even informing, the government of Somaliland about it. These two steps plus many previous slights have incensed the people of Somaliland. Feeling the rising anger of his people toward the US, Britain, and Western countries in general, the president of Somaliland, Ahmed Sillanyo, tried to re-assure his citizens in his speech to the joint session of parliament and the Upper House, that he had received assurances from the Obama administration that their policy toward Somaliland has not changed and that both their engagement with Somaliland and their programs in Somaliland will continue. 

And this is precisely the problem. For although President Ahmed Silanyo considers US re-assurances as a positive thing, they really are not, because once they raised the status of Somalia’s government, the only way in which such a move would not be to Somaliland’s disadvantage is by also raising Somaliland’s status, and the fact that they didn’t raise Somaliland’s status means they weakened Somaliland’s position despite their insistence that their policy toward Somaliland has not changed. Furthermore, the US move is not just about recognition, it is also about putting the government of Somalia on a trajectory that promises more US backing and sends a signal to other western powers to do likewise, which means further chipping away at Somaliland’s position. This is the reality of the Obama administration’s policy which sets the tone for the policies of other western countries, and no amount of sweet words or after the fact explanations can change it.
 
This being the situation, the question is: what can Somaliland do about it? The answer is: a lot. And the reason we say this is because when all is said and done, the fact remains that the US and western countries need Somaliland more than Somaliland needs them. This may seem like an odd or counter-intuitive thing to say but it is true, and here is why. The main reason that the US and western countries are involved in Somalia is because they see Somalia as a security threat. That same security threat to western countries potentially exists in Somaliland but until now has been contained because of the efforts of Somaliland’s government and its people. The west needs the cooperation of Somaliland to prevent security threats coming from Somaliland, whereas Somaliland does not need western cooperation to exist. This is the other reality that favors Somaliland. The problem is that Somaliland has always approached western governments from the position that it needs the west more than the west needs it rather than the other way around, and in order for western policies to change, Somaliland’s attitude must first change.
 
The fact of the matter is that the attitudes of Somaliland’s people toward Western governments are already in the process of changing. Many people in Somaliland are reaching the conclusion that these governments are pursuing ruthless policies that hurt and endanger the interests of Somaliland. What has been lagging behind is the attitude of Somaliland’s government which until has not yet pursued policies based on the position that the west needs Somaliland more than Somaliland needs the west. Somaliland’s government must change their attitude and policies so it would be more in line with the wishes, interests, and conclusions of its own people. 

As part of this change, Somaliland’s government must establish some markers or red lines which it will not accept from western and foreign countries to cross. One of these markers is the arming of Somalia’s government. Somaliland government should also make it absolutely clear to western countries that although it has no objection to helping the people of Somalia, their efforts to change the playing field in favor of Somalia’s government and to the detriment of Somaliland are unacceptable; and that most certainly Somaliland will not attend a conference chaired by the President of Somalia whether it is in London or on March.