America Must Prioritize Somali-Owned Peace and Nation Building Process

June 13, 2025 

The foreign policy approach of the Trump-Vance Administration appears to be a commitment to the principle of “peace through strength,” as articulated by the America First Policy Institute. Historically, peace through strength conjures up the apparition of total disregard for the inviolability of the borders of sovereign nations. It likewise can be interpreted as the total sum of a neoliberal industrial and economic domination.

Trump’s approach to advancing U.S. strategic interests focuses on promoting “America First” principles. This means putting domestic priorities first (i.e., reviving American manufacturing through protectionist trade policies and maintaining high defense spending). However, as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently remarked, “Empires don’t mind their own business,” suggesting that the U.S. should not retreat from its global leadership role. Leading by example and promoting peace and security remains vital. 

In this context, avoiding actions that might fuel instability in the Horn of Africa, especially in Somalia, would be a wise course of action. However, calls to recognize “Somaliland”’s unilateral, clan-based secession has been gaining traction behind closed doors. This is a misleading and myopic policy to embrace. The Heritage Foundation has taken a lead role in these impetuous calls. It has a track record of recommending regressive and harmful policies. A cautionary example lies in the widespread criticism and disavowal of Project 2025, which President Trump himself had repeatedly distanced himself from, prior to his election through various media appearances. Project 2025 calls for the recognition of “Somaliland”. 

Recognition for the unilateral, single clan-based secession in northern Somalia is a recipe for disaster as it leads to intractable ethnic and regional conflicts that would cause further mayhem and destruction to the Horn of Africa region, particularly Somalia. "Somaliland"s political elite has no qualms about weaponizing foreign aid or using extreme methods to reach and control a long-defunct, colonial-era borders. More recently, the eastern portion of northern Somalia has experienced significant armed conflicts, human rights abuses, and hundreds of thousands of families being targeted and forced to flee their homes in Las Anod, Sool and Erigabo, Sanaag. 

The Trump-Vance administration should be wary of the fragility of Somalia. A comprehensive peace and reconciliation process can bring a viable resolution and healing to Somalia’s internal, clan-based conflict.  Diplomatic efforts should focus on mediating internal grievances and resolving the land and resource disputes that fuel the violence. This must be the right U.S. foreign policy approach to support democratic institutions, strengthen the central government, and respect Somalia's territorial integrity. A strategic position that aligns well with the broader goals of fostering stability and reducing the threat of extremism! 

Practically, “peace through strength” should accomplish these goals without further entanglement and without harming a fragile yet strategically important region. It would help advance U.S. geopolitical interests.

By prioritizing Somali-owned peace-building and national reconciliation, President Trump restores a much-needed U.S. global leadership that guides current AU and UN efforts to bolstering sustainable peace in Africa and beyond. Disregarding the above common sense approach risks deepening the crisis and  might lead to greater fragmentation and long-term instability in Somalia. 

Mohamed Elmi 

Minneapolis, MN