US air strikes in Somalia will only encourage terrorism Published: 11 January 2007 With the shadow of Black Hawk Down yet to fade, America has fashioned another spectre in Somalia which will come back to haunt it in years to come. This week's bombing will not only fail to eradicate the al-Qa'ida suspects but will further jeopardise the international community's reputation in the Horn of Africa in the long run. Granted, there is a terrorist threat in Somalia. And America also has selfish interests in increasing its influence in this newly oil-rich area. But far more concerning than the terrorist threat, or the inevitable absence of purely altruistic humanitarian sentiment, is the international community's conceptual failure to view Somalia other than through the lens of the "war on terror". Somalia has its own troubled history of colonial occupation, Cold War interference, regional instability, clan-based conflict and failed statehood- and a present in which these fuse uniquely. To ignore the complexities of Somali identity, and to fail to address the situation on its own terms, will encourage exactly the angry, destructive terrorism that we allegedly desire to erase. Rather than conduct counter-productive bombing campaigns, we must focus our efforts on bringing all parties to the negotiating table. We must actively strive for stability and security - for that of Somalia and the international community is interconnected like never before. LAURA KYRKE-SMITH LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
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