Operation Restore Hope In Somalia

Having the opportunity to live in America, we are not commonly exposed to the overwhelming effects of anarchy; however our United States government is known for their involvement in aiding countries experiencing disorder. For more than two decades, the country Somalia dwelled in the ruins of its own nation after the collapse of its civilization. It was considered the world’s most failed state. Recently, as reported in the article, “US recognizes Somalia government after two decades of anarchy” by Mike Pflanz, the United States government began assisting Somalia to rise from the ashes of turmoil and back on their feet. The Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stresses that “Somalia is emerging from a very long, difficult period and now moving away from the chaos, instability, extremism, piracy, to an era of peaceful and development.” The article also notes the conflicts against Islamic extremists and pirates, who took advantage of the unrest in the country. This relates with the theme

The history of Somalia is a bloody one, filled with failed occupation, anarchy and civil war. Early Somalia established itself as a merchant state. Its key geographical location by the natural strait between the Horn of Africa and Yemen made it a focal point for trade.This essay will explore the history of internal struggles of the Somalilands and its many wars. It will investigate the colonial influences and conflicts between Somalia and its imperial occupiers and how these influences set the stage for future conflicts between the clans. Also, it will attempt to define the reasons why Somalia has become a failed state. The importance of United States foreign policies will be discussed as they have

The United Nations failed Rwanda, in a time of need they abandoned the Rwandan people giving them no physical protection. Sadly, things go wrong with the slaughter of almost 800,000 Rwanda people, left defenseless in a country where no one outside cared. U.N. troops were present as only “peace-keepers.” The dispute was between the Hutus and Tutsis people could of been controlled if the U.N. changed their position, but the result could bring more consequences. This conflict between the two social groups in Rwanda,was left to be resolved on its own with many lives lost.

The UN and the US government are accredited for deploring conflict situations as well as contributing humanitarian aid, and this is what these two organizations did in Rwanda and Darfur. However, the UN did not do anything to punish or prevent the genocides that took place in these two countries. The US government promised to support the peace talk’s agreement in Darfur and hold the perpetrators accountable for their acts. It never kept that promise since nothing has been done. So far, the UN’s Security Council has also failed in its peace keeping mission effeorts, and is instead pressuring Sudan with words only. No solid steps have been made to bring the wrong doers into justice (Shapiro).

The use of Irregular Warfare has been ongoing for years around the world. Irregular warfare is described as a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations. I will discuss where the U.S. may apply military force in conjunction with other means of national power to stabilize the nation of Somalia. I will also discuss why it would be considered as an Irregular Warfare environment.

As more and more foreign forces made their way into Somalia attention fell on the

Then, United Somalia Congress divide into multiple clans which escalate the turmoil through inter-clan warfare. Such warfare destroyed the economy, and left hundreds of thousands of Somalians to perish of starvation.

Later the peacekeeping forces brought about cease-fires in Central America and the Iran-Iraq War. As a safeguard they kept forces there to make sure that peace continued. After a few failures in Africa, the United Nations learned that by sending a force that is too small and not very intimidating, peace will crumble. The largest peacekeeping mission ever undertaken by the United Nations was the civil war between Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Yugoslavia broke up. On numerous occasions the United Nations underestimated the forces needed and failed the campaign. Since that failure in Bosnia, the United Nations has refused help to any other nations requesting assistance. (United Nations 2)

Bush offered to escort the UN peacekeepers into Somalia to protect them. Operation Restore Hope worked with the United Nations to get supplies into Somalia. Critics argued that the only reason the United States military arrived was due to the fact Somalia was rich

soldiers were killed. The U.S won the battle, but lost the war. Sure the U.S helped feed millions of people for a certain period of time, but overall the intervention turned out to be unsuccessful because once they left, starvation would soon hit Somalia once again. The Somali leader and the main instigator of starvation was not arrested, many innocent people were killed and when the U.S withdrew its troops, 18 soldiers' lives were lost in vain because their mission was not accomplished with their deaths.

By early summer (1992), at least 300,000 civilians had already died and in July (2009) the International Committee of the Red Cross re-iterated its six-month old estimates that 95 percent of the population of Somalia was malnourished and 70 percent in imminent danger of death by starvation, (Jon Western, 1999). Between 1992 and 1995 a UN Peacekeeping force and a small American lead coalition attempted to stabilize the country. After limited success, both eventually pulled out. In the decade that followed fighting between warlords, political groups, and neighboring countries have contributed to numerous failed attempts to establish a functioning government. The country is considered a failed state.

By November of 1992, conditions were getting worse instead of better. Food was still being stolen and sold off to clan leaders while aid workers were threatened and attacked. Americans were stunned at the lawlessness and starvation. Thousands of troops were ordered into Somalia to assist in the aid by President George H. Bush. Now food was getting to the people that it was intended for but distrust for the American soldiers was growing after they often violated Somalis privacy by bursting into their homes and confiscating the weapons that was the Somalis only defense against the opposing clans.6 In March of 1993 the U.S. withdrew most of its troops leaving the security of the people to the UN. By this time anger was growing towards the outsiders and the UN took most of the fallout for that by being attacked regularly. Hostility grew even more when the UN announced that the clan led by Aidid was the one responsible for the lawlessness in Somalia.7 When the UN took sides against the most powerful warlord in Somalia, the attacks against the aid workers was stepped up. 24 Pakistani peace keepers were killed

During his time as president, Mohammed Barre attempted to regain Somali territory from their neighbouring country, Ethiopia, but eventually the fight was lost. The citizens of Somali started to build up a resistance against Barre’s harsh regime and in 1991 government were overthrown again.

In August of 1992, President George Bush Sr. sent US soldiers into Somalia to provide humanitarian relief to those Somalis suffering from starvation. The major problems in Somalia started when President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans. Although there were several opposing groups, the prominent one was led by Mohammed Farah Aidid. Following the overthrow of Barre, a massive power struggle ensued. These small scale civil wars led to the destruction of the agriculture in Somalia, which in turn led to the deprivation of food in large parts of the country. When the international community heard of this, large quantities of food were sent to ease Somali suffering. However, clan leaders like Aidid routinely

The United State’s aid agencies played a tremendous role in Humanitarian services in crisis areas. Most of the time, the United States aid agencies get involved in areas which have been destroyed either by natural or man made disasters. After a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, causing death of hundreds of thousands and displacing almost the same number, the United States military and aid agencies were at the Frontline to provide emergency supplies for the people. In Libya the United States involved to protect civilians after the being targeted by the Libyan president at that time Muammar al-Qaddafi militias. But at the end of the day it became military intervention, “military intervention has created a de-stabilized (some say failed)