The Logic of Somaliland

An extraordinary exchange between Senator Ted Cruz and President Trump’s nominee as ambassador to Somalia, Devin Kennington, sheds light on an golden opportunity on the global chessboard. Mr. Cruz attempted to decode the State Department’s position on Somaliland’s independence from Mogadishu. What he got was Foggy Bottom’s doubletalk. The senator, in contrast, was clear: Formal recognition of Somaliland is in America’s interest. We don’t mind saying that Mr. Cruz makes sense to us. As we noted in these columns in March, “a Mideast war is as good a moment as any to make Somaliland a long-term ally.” Yet no need to take our word. As Mr. Cruz noted, Mr. Trump had said clearly that Somaliland is a “totally different country than Somalia.” The senator of Texas told Mr. Kennington that his confirmation as ambassador depends on agreement with the president’s position. “I recognize the importance of subnational engagement throughout Somalia,” and “I would put Somaliland in that bucket,” Mr. Kennington said, shuffling paper in front of him. The diplomat acknowledged that Somaliland has its own government, that it conducted a smooth leadership transfer after a fair election in 2024, and that it has its own economy. Two American allies, Israel and the Republic of China, have recognized Somaliland’s independence. Most importantly, Somaliland is offering America a foothold facing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s emerging top proxy army, the Houthis. The Yemeni terror group is menacing global shipping in the Red Sea. Somaliland, situated across Yemen, could provide bases to monitor and, when needed, go after the Yemeni group. The same cannot be said for Somalia, a misruled Beijing-allied country where Islamists have power over a weak, dictatorial government.Somalia’s Al Shabab gangs “have capitalized on weak state control, international tribal fractures, persistent humanitarian crises throughout Somalia,” to “become Al Qaeda’s largest and wealthiest affiliate,” Senator Jackie Rosen said in yesterday’s hearing. Meanwhile the Somali national army, she added, “suffers from severe resource constraints and really lacks that structural capacity to handle complex nationwide logistics.”Beyond ties to Al Qaeda, Al Shabab and other Somali Islamist gangs have ties to the neighboring Yemeni terrorists. “I’m aware of reports of collaboration and potential technology transfer between the Houthis and Al Shabab that’s obviously very concerning for us,” Mr. Kennington acknowledged. So Mogadishu, backed by America’s adversaries and besieged by Islamist terrorists, is desperately holding on to a potential American ally. In the colonial era, today’s Somalia was controlled by Italy, while the northern part of the territory, now known as Somaliland, was a British protectorate. In 1960 the two entities united to form a “greater Somalia.” Amicable unity was short-lived, and by 1981 Somaliland declared independence from Mogadishu. In December Israel became the second country, after the Republic of China, to recognize Somaliland as a country. For now the much-maligned Jerusalem and Beijing-threatened Taipei remain alone in realizing the wisdom in this promising African alliance. Several world powers could follow suit were Washington to do so. “Somaliland is not Somalia,” Mr. Cruz stressed Wednesday. “The president has made his position clear, and I believe it is time for the United States to formally recognize Somaliland.”

The Logic of Somaliland

The Logic of Somaliland

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