Same old: US admin's 'new' strategy on Somalia

Last week at the UN Johnnie Carson presented United States new approach towards Somalia. He said "the new, "aggressive" engagement could help to head off the Islamist insurgents". The supposedly new strategy is that the administration will support the current government and cooperate closely the relatively stable regions of Puntland and Somaliland, and any other group or tribe not affiliated with Al-Shabab. 

The only problem with this new "aggressive" is that this is not new at all. The US government supported the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) from the beginning and help create it in 2004. They had for years also worked with Puntland and Somaliland on anti-terrorism and piracy for years. 

This is very disappointing. Since the attack in Uganda in July,  which Al-Shabab claimed, the US government understandably feels it has to show that it's doing something about the problem. But I'm sure the could have done better than to present what they were doing for years as a 'new' approach. No, it isn't.

 The fact is that the TFG is not an answer to Al-Shabab. It has failed since 2009 to gain any ground in Mogadishu against Al-Shabab or to build any government institutions. The UN accuses government ministers of corruption and the army is defecting or selling weapons to Al-Shabab. 

So, to what end is US supporting this government?

On the point of engaging with Puntland and Somalia, these two regions have been autonomous for more than a decade and it's obvious that you cannot fight piracy, terrorism or deliver aid there without working with them.

Woo Hah - Busta Rhymes and Arab Culture

American rapper Busta Rhymes has certainly come a long way since his days of rapping about loose women and easy money. He recently spoke out about how America should embody some of the characteristics of Arab culture:

"The one thing that the Arab culture has always exemplified for thousands of years is the significant value of spirituality; all the way down to the spirituality of financial and economic stability. At the end of the day, they grow, groom and condition their children to understand those values. They implement it successfully in their household. It seems really unfair to me, because as a man of Islam myself, I definitely want to make sure that I’m doing my part in being able to re-establish the integrity and the beauty as far as the Arab culture is concerned. It’s contradictory of us to have this impression of a culture that’s not only done so much for this culture, well this country rather. You know the United States don’t really have no culture. We take a little bit from everyone…"

How could American politicians can get away with such ignorance

I know it's a bit overdue but I was buffled by the report that some nut-case running for president in US has threatened to bomb Macca and Medina if terrorists used nuclear against the US. Well, it's humorous in a way because the senator personifies the perception that Americans are ignorant about the rest of the world. He probably thinks that terrorist with nuclear weapons will freeze, put their hands up in the air and start crying mercy if the Americans threaten to bomb Mecca and Madina.

What I find interesting is how America's top politicians can always get away with such ignorance, he certainly isn't the first. Silvestre Reyes, the democrat's House Intelligence committee chairman thought that Al-Qaeda is Shia and Obama wants to invade Pakistan, one of the largest Muslim countries and a close ally to America.