Somalia: Better Late than Never

Abstract

Unlike other African countries suffering internal conflicts, Somalia was the only one with “strategic” implications for the United States. The US air and naval facility in the northwestern Somali port town of Berbera formed part of our military network defending the Persian/Arabian Gulf against Soviet aggression. Hence, our Somalia policy was important to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) based in Tampa, Florida. (CENTCOM is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, the Gulf, and the Horn of Africa. It became well known to the public during the Gulf War against Iraq in 1990–91.) Because of Somalia’s strategic position, US diplomacy felt obliged to cultivate close and cordial relations with one of the world’s most vicious despots, Mohammed Siad Barre, president of the Somali Democratic Republic.