Article of the Week
Why this article
This week, we focus on the case of Somaliland, a territory in East Africa that declared independence decades ago but is not recognized as a sovereign state by the international community. Except by Israel, which officially recognized this self-proclaimed republic on December 26. According to a journalist from the Spanish newspaper El País, Somaliland is transitioning from diplomatic invisibility to strategic hyperexposure.
This case study is very interesting for high school students working on the theme of borders and could be an original topic for the oral exam.
Key quote
“How can a country exist for thirty years without being recognized?”
Somaliland has been striving to exist as a sovereign and independent state for over thirty years since unilaterally seceding from Somalia in 1991 – for reasons related to the region’s colonial history, as detailed in the article from El País. It holds democratic elections, has its own currency, flag, and an army capable of monitoring its borders. However, it was never recognized as a sovereign state until now. Somaliland has lived in almost total diplomatic isolation since 1991, forcing its residents to use Somali passports to travel abroad.
Why this international ostracism? Researcher Elsa Aimé, cited by the Spanish newspaper, explains that the international community did not want to violate Somalia’s sovereignty and especially did not want to open a “Pandora’s box” by recognizing a secessionist territory, which could be seen as legitimizing the numerous independence movements in the Horn of Africa.
However, on December 26, Israel finally recognized Somaliland’s sovereignty. This move is significant for Tel Aviv as it represents a strategic interest. Somaliland is located at the entrance to the Bab El-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and handles about a quarter of global trade. A strategic strait for Israel, as it is under constant threat from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, allies of Iran.
Due to its stable and democratic regime, Somaliland serves as a strategic foothold in a region marked by numerous conflicts and the presence of authoritarian regimes. While this recognition has angered Somalia and many countries in the region and the Middle East, the United States under Donald Trump did not condemn Israel’s decision, possibly paving the way for other official recognitions in the near future.
For further reading
To delve deeper into this topic, we recommend the following links:
Also, don’t miss this from the week
This article from the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Ha’Aretz explores the strategy of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, who is trying to reshape the geopolitics of the Middle East. This synthesis of Israel’s regional politics is valuable for high school seniors to enrich their understanding of conflicts.
