By: Amb. David H. Shinn
Below are Ambassador David Shinn’s comments posted on his blog (http://davidshinn.blogspot.com )on an article titled Sustainable Peace: Why Somaliland Matters.
(Quote)-Abukar Arman, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) special envoy to the United States, posted a provocative commentary on 13 June 2012 titled Sustainable Peace: Why Somaliland Matters.
His basic argument is that there is now more discussion, at least in the Somali diaspora, among Somalis from both Somalia and Somaliland about ways “to end the status quo and settle our differences.”
He added that there is even a growing willingness by cultural elders and clan leaders in Somaliland to break ranks with the official secessionist position. He remains critical of Ethiopian motives in the region and the U.S. dual track policy towards Somalia. His piece should keep the debate alive.
Click any of the following links to read the full article
http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/regional/897-somaliland-sustainable-peace-why-somaliland-matters
http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2012/06/13/sustainable-peace-somaliland-matters/#comment-40843
About David Shinn
David H. Shinn (b. 1940, Yakima, Washington) is an Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. His diverse career in the foreign service of the United States has included ambassadorships to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
Shinn is a frequent commentator in the news media on East African Affairs and is often called to testify in front of the United States Congress on such topics as the Horn of Africa, particularly Sino-African relations, Piracy in Somalia, and Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen.
Shinn received his B.A. (1962), M.A. (1963), and PhD (1980) from George Washington University. He also received a certificate in African Studies from Northwestern University and was diplomat-in-residence at University of California, Los Angeles and Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Shinn served for 37 years in the United States Foreign Service with assignments at embassies in Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Cameroon, Sudan, and as ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.
http://davidshinn.blogspot.com
