Our species divides up its constituent peoples primarily into countries. Sometimes these countries are divided themselves, one with one system and another with another system. We’re familiar with North and South Korea, East and West Germany, among others*.
Well move over divided states – there’s another split country to add to your number: Somalia and Somaliland. And North and South Korea are a handy comparison, a good way to conceptualise the difference.
A month or so ago I wrote an article in these pages predicting, as rumor had and has it, US recognition of Somaliland, the northern fork of the Horn of Africa abutting the Red Sea.
Such a Trumpian move would obviously result in wider international recognition of Somaliland, despite objections of Somalia to the south, some allies of theirs and the African Union whose dynamic is one of “decolonization”… so long as it is against European whitey rather than the dictators club it is.
Trump is yet to fully engage, but out of the blue the ever nimble and prescient Israelis suddenly recognised Somaliland, a real embassy in the capital Hargeisa to be established by a real UN member state. Other countries including the influential United Arab Emirates and local powerhouse Ethiopia are also “recognition curious”.
This is important because Somaliland (effectively) split from larger Somalia in 1991 when the whole show fell apart in agony and the southern Somalis attacked Somaliland in the north. Somaliland (remember: in the north, opposite to the Koreas) is a functioning democracy we’d recognise with some trade, tranquility and an aversion to violence and Islamism.
It is quite the bootstrap nation: without recognition, international aid, diplomatic help, insurance (!), IMF/World Bank or any real international help it has flourished. It is hard to explain how dire such a state of externally imposed isolation is to any country.
For a long time Somaliland didn’t even have passports, now they do and they’re accepted in some countries, or “official” embassies, just some trade offices. Try making a successful democracy with that unhappy set of cards, while occaisonally under attack from Somalia and Islamic terrorists “al Shabab”.
But they did and Somaliland, like South Korea (but without US assistance) kept its elections and free press and built a respectable but lonely nation. A more inspiring national story this century is hard to imagine.
Taiwan – a prosperous democracy with “legitimacy” and diplomatic issues of its own, started playing diplomatic footsie with Somaliland a few years ago.
Forget resources like oil, the “resource curse” often ruins a country, because for success and happiness: human and economic freedom is the correct recipe. There are libraries of economic history to inform us of this fact: full democracy, low corruption, predictable and sane property and contract rights are what countries need to prosper. Historian Nial Ferguson calls them the “killer apps” of national success.
It would be no surprise that if Somaliland keeps up its current progress, it could easily be the richest, freest country in Africa. This is no small feat as they are only now “plugging in” to globalisation and its positive effects.
So when you think of “Somalia” – think grim North Korea, when you think of Somaliland, think an African South Korea: a firm ally of civilization.
Somalia to the south is indeed in a sorry state. Star of the action movie Black Hawk Down, it is as failed as a country can fall: producing and exporting little more than marine piracy, Islamic terrorism, refugees, Minnesota frauds and Senator Ilhan Omar.
Desperate for friends Somalia just signed an agreement with Myanmar, another failed state an ocean away. This is a bit like the last two unlucky strangers in a bar at closing time: everybody else has gone home, the barkeep is putting stools up on the tables, and Somalia and Myanmar look at each other across the empty bar and say: “Guess you’ll do…” as they stumble off into the night together. A sad show.
With continued democracy and civic freedom, and now globalization and a start at international recognition, Somaliland’s future is in the other direction: success!
*Other divided countries: Formerly North and South Yemen but maybe soon to be separated again, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, two Congos, arguably China and Taiwan, Moldova and Romania and according to some Ukraine and Russia.
Suggested Reading:
My recent article on the dynamics of Somaliland and possible US recognition.
Closing bar desparados – Somalia and Myanmar.
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