Somalia: Foolishness or Bad Character?

 Somalia is a country among those devastated by multi-faceted conflicts that seem to have transcended human solutions.

When you look at the society generally, it is one susceptible to political interference coming from those they consider allies, but who are united by strategic interests.

Apart from the neighboring countries that do not hide their influence and interference in internal affairs, there are countries whose ambitions are not directly visible, and others that Somalis can see, but circumstances compel them to look the other way.

The interests that countries like Egypt, the UAE and Turkey have in Somalia are evident.

The USA, the EU, and the Scandinavian countries are united by the interest of already being allies and members of NATO, they determined to make sure that Somalia not sign a cooperation agreements with China and Russia.

Egypt does not possess the economic power or political influence to change the situation in Somalia. This is because Somalis are not united but are divided into regions partitioned by clans. Since Cairo lacks the economic power to pursue its interests, it seeks instead to intertwine itself with the Arab League and the anxiety Somalis have regarding Ethiopia's ambition for their sea. Ethiopia is a country with which Somalia has had fierce wars in the past. Neither of them achieved victory, and that deep-rooted hostility has precluded them from cooperating in a good-neighborly manner.

However, the current Ethiopian leaders repeatedly make statements that suggest Ethiopia believes it can exploit the military and political weakness in Mogadishu.

The Egyptians view Somalia as a country they can use to their advantage in the perennial dispute over the Nile waters with the Ethiopians. This makes Somalia a place where the Egyptians can apply pressure on the Addis Ababa administration.

Turkey's ambition is long-term. It relates to its Strategic Policy in Africa. They see Mogadishu as the gateway through which Turkey can enter Africa. It is a policy related to Turkey's expansion. Somalis are not apprehensive about engaging with Turkey, as they see Turkey as respecting a long-standing religious friendship.

The UAE has an economic power and its interest is limited to the principle of "divide the Somalis and rule." While perhaps acting as a proxy for other hidden powers, the UAE has seen its interest in gaining control of Somalia's long coastline. The primary objective is to obstruct Somalia's development of economic potential in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The main interest is to protect the Red Sea from Somali ports. This is to ensure that the ports of Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, and even Eritrea do not become an obstacle to the Jebel Ali port in the Emirates. Coupled with this, the Emirates aspire to take control of Somalia's vast agricultural land. This is the second agenda item that they do not openly mention, but which they discuss with Somali politicians at various levels.

The Western countries' true motivation for interfering in Somalia is a long-term strategic one. Somalia's geographical location and its untapped natural resources give it special importance. These are complex games related to the geopolitics of the Horn of Africa and the struggle of the great powers. The West is closely watching Turkey's movements inside Somalia. They are also present in Somalia to prevent Somali politicians from dealing or forming alliances with China and Russia.

All these matters require a master class political calculation that Somali people do not see from their elected leaders.

Now, is it foolishness on the part of Somali politicians that they become servants to countries pursuing their own special interests?

Or is the matter not foolishness, but the bad political character and lack of political vision, which compels them to sell the responsibility they hold to the Somali people for small amounts of money?