The horn of Africa which contains the nations of Ethiopia and Somalia has been fought over by northern empires since classical times. Ethiopia includes the oldest populations of both Jews and Christians although the area generally is now predominantly Muslim.
Somali was split between Italy and Britain in the many conferences at the end of the nineteenth century and in the conferences following the World Wars between the colonial powers during the twentieth century.
Somali, became independent in 1960, but the colonial powers insisted that Kenya and Ethiopia keep the lands where large populations of Somalis continue to live. The mission of the first president, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was to regain and consolidate those lands into a greater Somalia.
Rapproachment with Ethopia is largely blamed for the fall of Egal's ogvernment in 1969 and a Supreme Revolution was established under the leadership of Major General Mohammed Siad Barre. That party became friendly with the USSR resulting in a treaty in 1974.
Guerrillas backed by European and US governments began undermining the Supreme Revolution in 1975 at the same time as Ethopia underwent a socialist revolution and became a Russian ally. As a result of those two forces, the Somali government gradually distanced itself from USSR and became a US ally until the government disintegrated in the late 1980s and the US government withdrew.
In 1992 the civil war led to a huge drought and international intervention. By 1994 European and US troops withdrew from the UN forces and the country split into a series of warring factions. Transitional governments formed in 2000 and 2004 have failed to hold the country together.
The average income is $US650 per year.
Forest products and fishing traditionally constituted the small export base, farming on marginal land has supplied enough food to feed the population in most years.
In recent years the poaching of fish by international fleets has led to a great deal of tension at sea and the emergence of bands of armed Somalians in boats. It now appears the activities of these "pirates" are being manipulated by international interests in the same way that the guerrilla forces in the West of the country were during the Cold War.
The pirates have targeted oil tankers and ships carrying grain and military supplies. In November 2008 a Ukrainian ship with 21 tanks on board was captured by pirates who demanded $US21 million for the return of the ship and its crew. "We only need money," the leader of the pirates said.
Questions have been raised by a number of people about the sudden increase in piracy during 2008 and the quality of the information available to the pirates. Fox News reported in November 2008 "while we know of no links to terrorism one has to ask how they develop such well orchestrated plans."
Dominick Donald, analyst with Uk Security firm Aegis believes the pirates are essentially opportunistic. " they've worked out the extent of naval capabilities; they've worked out the extent of what navies are permitted to do; and they've adapted. all you need to do is park your mothership out at some point in the Gulf of Aden where you know there is a shipping lane and wait for a suitable target to come along. you're talking about perhaps 20,000 vessels a year -- 80 to 100 vessels a day."
As we like to say on The Generator, "why invoke a conspiracy theory when sheer stupidity can explain everything."
Relevant links
Finding Duclinea: Foreign forces thwart Somali pirates
Wired: Can Guns-for-Hire Really Deter Pirates?
Fox Business: The Glick Report: Pirates: The New Face of Terrorism?
Prison Planet: Pirates Square up to US and Russia
History World: History of Somalia
Reuters: Pirates hold US captain
