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It is commonly assumed that as an ally of the United States with longer
experience in international affairs than the United States, Britain
often helps the United States by availing it of that long experience.
But based on what we now know of the conduct of Tony Blair’s government
in the run up to the Iraq war, it is clear that the British government
did not play this role. Instead of giving the Bush administration honest
advice and discouraging it from invading Iraq, Tony Blair decided not
only to go along with Bush’s decision but went out of his way to
spearhead the campaign to market it. Something like this is now
happening with regard to Gordon Brown’s policy toward Somalis.
As the former colonial power in Somaliland, Britain definitely has a
longer experience with Somalis than the United States. So, one would
have expected the British government to give sound and realistic advice
to American policymakers. But that is not what is happening. Instead,
the British government has gone even farther than the US itself in
marketing a disastrous US policy. A case in point is the recent visit to
Britain of the so-called President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif. By
inviting Sheikh Sharif into Britain, and pretending that Sheikh Sharif
is the head of a real government even though Sheikh Sharif controls only
a couple of blocks in Mogadishu and most Somalis oppose him, Gordon
Brown has even outdone American policymakers. But just as Tony Blair’s
zealous promotion of ill-conceived American policy in Iraq led to
terrible consequences for both the US and Britain, Gordon Brown’s
promotion of ill-conceived American policy toward Somalis is bound to
bring negative results for both countries.
The irony here is that one of the declared objectives behind inviting
Sheikh Sharif to Britain was to help in stemming Islamic radicalism
among Somalis, but the actual impact of the visit is more likely to be
increased radicalization of the majority of Somalis in Britain who do
not view Sheikh Sharif as representing their interests. This sense of
increasing alienation from Britain is becoming especially noticeable
among Somalilanders in Britain who see Gordon Brown’s latest moves,
especially the talk of opening a Somali embassy in Britain without first
resolving the issue of Somaliland’s diplomatic recognition, as
sacrificing Somaliland’s interests. Such a move, if and when it happens,
is very likely to move the Somali conflict to Britain.
In addition to the obvious fact that Gordon Brown’s government is
kowtowing to faulty American policy prescriptions, there is also a very
wide perception that the invitation was a gimmick on the part of Gordon
Brown to show the British public that he is actually doing something
about the hostage situation of Paul and Rachel Chandler; or worse yet,
it was a clever way of handing Sheikh Sharif a sum of money which will
be officially designated as aid to Somalia but with the unwritten
understanding that he would use some of the money to bribe the captors
of Paul and Rachel Chandler so that they would release them (this
perception was heightened by the fact that two of Sheikh Sharif’s
ministers are from the same clan as the captors of Paul and Rachel
Chandler and the two ministers have contacts with the hostage takers).
Although British law is against paying bribes, British officials have a
record of being implicated corruption and double dealing such as the
cases of al-Yamamah and the release of the Lockerbie bomber. But whether
it was acquiescing to American pressure, or a gimmick, or a cover for
bribery, there is little doubt that Gordon Brown’s current moves are
endangering both Somali and British long term interests.
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