Hampton Foushee is a Senior Editor of the World in Review section.
Not Another Taliban
With Islamic forces having established power in the hotly contested city of Mogadishu, many Somalis are relieved to see that one fairly integrated group will finally bring a level of order to the region. Whether this newly established order will adopt the oppressive Islamic behavior of a second Taliban is yet to be seen. The similarities of the two movements are disturbingly numerous and the war weary Somalis are likely to be left with an oppressive Islamic regime that will recall memories of a late 90’s Taliban.
Like Post-Soviet Afghanistan of the early 1990’s, Somalia was recently filled with chaotic fiefdoms ruled by ruthless but insignificant warlords that feuded over the country’s scarce resources. Like poppy seeds and opium in Central Asia, khat, an hallucinatory drug popular in Somalia, is becoming the primary form of currency for the purpose of paying off thugs and mercenaries and buying loyalty from soldiers that thrive off anarchy. And finally, like the imported radical Muslims of the Taliban, Islamic “holy warriors” trained and educated in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states are now crossing into Somalia in order to fill a power vacuum that has been created by years of mindless bloodshed, famine, and petty wars throughout the region. Weary of war and lacking alternatives, the Somali people have welcomed the new Islamic warlords as a stabilizing influence in the region where guns will be temporarily silenced. Approximately a decade ago the Taliban was welcomed into Kabul in a similar manner, as Afghans hoped to restore their lives and rebuild their homes. Unfortunately, the Taliban soon revealed its identity as a murderous, narrow-minded, anti-Western and oppressive regime that undermined American interests and harmed us in more ways than we could imagine.
While peace should always be the ultimate goal, the US and the UN alike would be foolish to tolerate an East-African Taliban that is willing to shelter Al-Qaeda operatives and ferment anti-Western propaganda. It is imperative that the UN call upon the new Islamic Government in Somalia to share power with the UN- backed transitional government that currently has little power over the region. While there is no harm in a partially Muslim government, an Islamic government backed by Middle-Eastern radicals is an unacceptable outcome that will only spawn future terrorists. Ruthless force cannot remain the decider in Somali politics; trust must be instilled in the transitional government’s ability to restore peace to this ravaged country.
Why Iran’s Actions Should Surprise No One
While having to confront the threats of economic isolation and possible military threats from the United States, Iran’s decision to resume its nuclear energy program should surprise no one. Since the 1953 coup in which Shah Pahlavi took power, the country has faced fervent western political intrusion while having to balance against the hostile forces of Pan-Arabism. Despite maintaining close ties to Syria and Shiite Hizballah forces, Iran lacks a strong network of regional allies, thus forcing the country to often act unilaterally in order to pursue its own goals. As a result, Iranian policy reflects its individualistic necessity to follow aspirations that are independent of outside influence and will allow Iran to remain a regional power.
Although Washington characterizes Iran as a rogue state that threatens stability in the Middle East, Iranian history should serve as proof that Iran has more reason to fear western interference than western sanctions. The 1953 ousting of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh by British and American intelligence operatives established western oil interests as a priority over Iran’s national sovereignty. With the elimination of diplomatic ties between Tehran and the Washington following the 1979 Iranian Revolution and America’s subsequent support of Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war, who can blame Iran for fearing that the United States will once again try to forcefully remove its government from power? The Iraq war is further proof that the United States is willing to accept vast collateral damage for the ouster of an unappealing Middle Eastern leader.
With numerous threats lurking, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using the Iranian nuclear program as an appeal to national pride that can help to cement the loyalty of a young and increasingly progressive Iranian population that boasts a median age of 25. While the country remains closely harnessed to its Islamic government, Iran contains a large number of well-educated and secularized youth that are opposed to the state’s oppressive government. Active American intervention in Iran would drive this increasingly strong element into Ahmadinejad’s corner and generate strengthened support for the leader, further underscoring Iranian allegations of Western interference within the state. While aerial bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities would prove effective in the short run, such a move would simply force the Iranian nuclear program further underground, making a subsequent round of strikes against Iran much more difficult, while giving the Iranian government stronger incentives for the development of nuclear weapons.
It is time that Washington acknowledge both sides of the Iranian debacle, for while a hard-line approach to Iran appears to be the most effective way of reducing the threat of a nuclear Iran, diplomacy will surely prove to be the best way of ensuring that a nuclear Iran does not become a nuclear-armed Iran. If the United States and Europe gives Iran space for peaceful enrichment, while continuing IAEA inspections of Iranian sites, the West will convey a peaceful message to Iran and deny the state an incentive for the development of nuclear weapons.