Sir, – Not for the first time, I find myself reflecting on how often world leaders use the delivery of freedom, human rights and the opportunity for powerless populations to lead a decent life as a pretext for some form of military assault on another country. Yet they seem to avoid studiously addressing the most obvious places where intervention on behalf of the people is needed.
For instance, the horrendous plight of the population of Somalia has been totally ignored by the West for decades.
Riven by perpetual conflict between competing warlords – its seaboard haunted by marauding modern-day pirates – Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, and is a classic example of a failed state. It is like an orphan amongst the world community, unwanted and uncared for by anyone.
Neighbouring countries, Ethiopia in particular, have periodically waged war in Somalia, reducing it to a battleground. Still, the Somali people have been left to their fate.
Stemming directly from this, we now have a situation where the majority of those suffering the worst effects of the terrible drought in the Horn of Africa (the many millions of people in Somalia) cannot be accessed by aid workers and provided relief because their conflict-riven country is much too dangerous to enter.
Accordingly, whenever presidents and prime ministers pontificate about bringing freedoms to another country, and ignore Somalia, their words can only be dismissed as so much self-serving, pious-sounding hot air. – Yours, etc,