Last January, the United States Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations held a meeting regarding the role of Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia, and how its presence was, essentially, a “ticking time bomb.” A major problem with Al Qaeda’s domination in Africa, particularly Somalia, is its intent to recruit American citizens to carry out terrorist attacks in the United States; these individuals include not only Americans who are of Arab or South Asian descent, but also individuals who converted to Islam in prison or elsewhere were “radicalized.” Some Americans were even arrested in Minnesota in early 2009 after returning from fighting alongside Al Shabab; since then, two dozen Americans of Somali origin have disappeared (in recent months) from St. Paul, Minnesota. From now on, fighting extremism world-wide will be an even bigger challenge for the United States, as terrorism is spreading throughout Asia and Africa.
The United States has, however, attempted to help a little bit. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Somali president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and praised him as “the best hope” for his country in many years. In addition, the Obama administration has provided money for weapons and helping the Djibouti military to train Somali troops. This would help to “bolster Sharif’s embattled government.”
These goals are, unfortunately, a tad too narrow compared to the immensity of the problem at hand. Senator Russ Feingold says that the US policy should be reconstructed and should be rooted in a “serious, high-level commitment to a sustainable and inclusive peace.” The United States needs to find a way to either evacuate endangered Somalis, or nullify the alliance of Al Qaeda and Al Shabab.
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