Horn of Africa historical (pre-2011): catch all thread

[Dayuhan]

I just anticipate that invading Somalia will be the next knee-jerk reaction war that we start in order to help a sitting President get reelected.

How would starting a war in Somalia help to get the sitting President reelected?

I guess I left that wide open.
Folks expect it to be a "cakewalk," and for the locals to shower our troops with ... do they have chocolates or flowers there ?

And which "folks" are expecting this? It's not something I've heard.

A year ago, President Farole of Puntland (who we do not even officially recognize) said he could stamp out piracy with $8 Million in aid, and I believe him.

Why do you believe him? Did he say exactly how he could stamp out piracy with $8 million? Where the money would be spent? It seems an unlikely proposition at best.

It will start as a training mission, with advisors only. Remember Southeast Asia ?

I am pretty sure that there are indigenous leaders in Somaliland and Puntland who could fight both of these fights more effectively than we ever could, but our foreign policy is not so flexible as to be able to accord respect to any Somali leaders.

Now I'm confused. If we aren't able to trust or respect any Somali leaders, who exactly will we be training and advising? If you want us to work with indigenous leaders, isn't training and advising what we should be doing?