The Us Military Involvement in Couter Terrorism in the Horn of Africa
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Date
2011-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study focuses on the US counter terrorism endeavors in the Horn of Africa especially those that are militaristic and security related ones which are more visible and some that are semi official. The study followed a qualitative approach that deemed necessary for this kind of research which deals with underlying issues that are usually cannot be understood in a quantifiable manner. The data collection process mainly depended up on secondary data and primary data is employed to support those data. It attempts to underline the potentials that are associated with terrorism in the Horn of Africa in addition to a brief historical flashback of terrorism in the region. The potential of the Horn in terms of terrorism is associated with the underlying factors like poverty, regional conflict, the presence of large but marginalized and dissatisfied Muslim population, Somalia’s state failure, etc. This study also looks in to the presence of al-Qaeda in the region which the United States is so wary of since its focus is on transnational terrorism. Moreover, it also looks in to the US counter terrorism efforts and programs that include CJTF-HOA, EACTI/EARSI, and other less official and clandestine operations. Finally, it attempts to identify gaps in the US policies in combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa by concentrating on underlying factors. As findings of this study, three salient points can be identified. The first one is the Horn of Africa is potentially dangerous since it hosts all the features that are dubbed as underlying factors are present in addition to its geographical proximity to the Middle East. These features make the region potentially dangerous and unless proper policies are employed terrorists can find a safe haven in the Horn. The second point that this study identified is that the presence of al-Qaeda and the terrorist atrocities by this network are minimum and are very few despite the fact that the Horn of Africa possesses all the underlying factors. Finally, this study identified that the US counter terrorism efforts are misguided and most of the time are concerned with quick fixes which sometimes resulted in exacerbating radicalism that it is supposed to fight against. In general, this study concludes: as the region remains potentially dangerous since the presence of al-Qaeda is at its minimum, the US counter terrorism efforts should be geared towards addressing underlying factors in order to diminish the potential to be the host of terrorists
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