Ethiopia and Regional Destabilization
The assault on Mogadishu by Ethiopian security forces, in corroboration with the fragile Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), was largely unsupported by the Ethiopian populace. It was instead a move designed to curry favor with the U.S., argued independent observers. The U.S. was seen as hostile toward the Islamic Court Union, which was gaining power in Somalia against the TFG. The attack was designed to leverage power back into the hands of the US-friendly TFG, and eliminate the prospect of an Islamist government with strong popular support.
For details on Ethiopian human rights violations in Somalia, see the 2007 Human Rights Watch report.
For details on the potential for regional destabilization, see the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution report.
For analysis on why the Bush Administration's focus on stemming terrorism in the Horn of Africa has disastrous implications for regional stability and U.S. counterterrorism objectives themselves, see Blowing the Horn by John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen in Foreign Affairs.
You can make a difference: Contact your Senator
