Recent U.S. air strikes on Somalia, which killed at least 70 innocent civilians, were justified by the U.S. government and their media flunkies with copious use of the hysteria-inducing catchwords “Islamist” and “al Qaeda.” As it turned out, the “al Qaeda operatives” killed were actually herdsmen with no ties to any organization on the ever-growing list of organizations labeled “terrorist groups” by the U.S.
The American public, who tend to think of all Africa as a hodgepodge of small territories engaging in a series of never-ending conflicts for which the U.S. and Europe bear no responsibility, have, as usual, given the government and media permission to frame this latest U.S.-instigated conflict in whatever terms they wish.
The media and Bush administration are insinuating that predominantly Christian Ethiopia is simply defending itself from the “Islamists” in Somalia, a place fairly teaming with “al Qaeda.” Naturally, the U.S. must support the Ethiopians by encouraging their preemptive attack on Somalia. As always, we’re defending truth and justice and bestowing democracy upon yet another far-off nation of brown-skinned people. All is right with the world.
But let’s not congratulate ourselves just yet. What few seem to realize is that the U.S. has, with the help of their client state Ethiopia, effectively given Somalia back into the hands of the bloodthirsty regional warlords who-after driving out U.N. peacekeepers and killing 18 American soldiers in 1993– terrorized the country until they were ousted by the Islamic Courts Union (the “Islamists” spoken of by the media) last year. Warlords who, by the way, are funded and armed by the U.S. government, despite the U.N. arms embargo that the U.S. helped establish.
But why would the United States-when we’re so busy with the worldwide War on Islam, oops, War on Terror-become involved in a relatively minor regional skirmish in Africa, a continent to which we’ve traditionally paid little attention, let alone precious military resources?
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but the Horn of Africa-with Somalia at its center-holds vast stores of oil. And just across the Red Sea from Somalia lie Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Imagine, as American corporations certainly imagine, the profit to be made by the interests who wrest control of Somalia’s seaports.
Failing to gain access to Eritrea’s seaports, Ethiopia has now set its sights on ports in Somalia. Imagine then, if the U.S.-backed Ethiopian military manages to gain control of Somalia. America, through its client state, gains control of Somali ports and grants Ethiopia unfettered access in return for Ethiopia’s continuing occupation of Somalia (funded and supported by the U.S.).
A win-win situation for everyone involved. Everyone, that is, except the Somalis, who will endure years of deprivation and slaughter by their own Somali warlords, as well as their U.S.-backed occupiers. It’s probably not going to be good for Americans either. We’ve been so well inculcated with fear of “Islamofascism,” to use a Bushism, that each time our government conjures up the specter of al Qaeda, we give it carte blanche to loot and plunder whichever Muslim country looks most profitable.
Our government is quite willing to take as many lives-especially non-white, non-Christian lives-as it deems necessary in order for its corporate masters to turn a profit. Despite a number of painful lessons, including the September 11 attacks, we’ve yet to learn that those we oppress will eventually retaliate. Whether through fear, apathy, or both, Americans have failed the world and ourselves by failing to demand answers and accountability from those we elected. If we continue to allow our government to rape and pillage with impunity, we should expect to bear the consequences.
