Opportunity in Somalia

by CHRIS ALBIN-LACKEY  Wednesday, April 15, 2009 Before the Obama administration considers new military strikes on al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, it should weigh the political costs of such an action ["Obama Team Mulls Aims of Somali Extremists,"front page, April 13]. Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. government carried out at least four airstrikes in Somalia in 2007 and 2008. One killed a prominent al-Shabab commander. But the strikes, along with U.S. support for a heavy-handed Ethiopian counterinsurgency effort, fomented unprecedented levels of anti-American sentiment among ordinary Somalis and greatly boosted the prestige of al-Shabab. They also fueled suspicion and violence against international humanitarian agencies, badly hampering efforts to respond to looming famine. And most of the casualties of U.S. attacks have been civilians. There is no easy way forward in Somalia. But right now Washington's biggest advantage is the widespread optimism among Somalis that the Obama administration will break with the deeply unpopular policies of its predecessor and engage with the country in a way that shows basic respect for the Somali people. The government should capitalize on that by adopting policies that directly address the profound humanitarian and human rights crisis in Somalia. CHRIS ALBIN-LACKEY  Senior Researcher, Africa Division  Human Rights Watch  Washington This article was originally published in the Washington Post Post