The US performed airstrikes on Al Queda positions embedded within the ICU.
How does that square with your claim that “America has a long history of meddling in Somalia’s affairs”? Before that, the US participated in a UN operation to deliver humanitarian relief, in the '90s. The only other mention of US involvement, let alone meddling, in Somalia, dates back to the Carter Administration, when Somalia asked for help in their war with Communist (Soviet and Cuban-backed) Ethiopia. Carter declined.
My point is that the ICU seemed to be well on their way to becoming an effective government in Somalia and the USA helped with preventing that. So America complains about Somalians not being able to get their act together, but when it seems like they might get their act together America supports the warlords who make it impossible.
None of that explains Somali piracy, even though the concept of “explaining” criminal behavior is ludicrous. The pirates are in it for the money, nothing else.
Reading about the commander of the operation to free the Iranian hostages, I liked his response, which to paraphrase, was:
“Anyone holding hostages will be shot in the head. We will shoot them twice, just to be sure.” That’s how you deal with pirates.
Well, it seems everyone except you agree that the lack of an effective government in Somalia is one of the main causes of piracy there. An effective government would be able to control it. An effective Islamist government would put an end to piracy in no time. But America would not allow an Islamist government in Somalia.
I have no problem with that just as I have no problem when Americans in Iraq are killed by the Iraqis. I mean, I feel sorry for the dead but they should not have been there in the first place. If they had stayed home they’d be alive.
I don’t think the ICU was on their way to becoming an effective government of Somalia. They managed to take over most of the area ruled by the internationally recognized Somali government, but I doubt they could have ever taken over the rebellious north and actually managed to unify Somalia any more than it was under the previous government.
Of course the ICU’s reign was cut short by Ethiopia, who had legitimate reasons to invade after the ICU threatened to invade the large Somali inhabited eastern part of Ethiopia. A good sign of a government that probably isn’t effective is one that provokes a neighbor into a war.
