“Everybody was against us from the beginning, and now we have no choice
but to fight,” [Ibrahim Hassan Addou] said. “What I don’t understand is why the whole world is trying to throw its weight behind a government that has been totally
rejected by its own people.”
This quote can be found on the story “Somalia’s Islamists and Ethiopia Gird for a War” at nytimes.com. I find this story interesting and complex, because we so often talk about the spread of democracy and stability of a central government; but, indeed, Somalia presents to us a difficult situation.
For the first time in over a decade, the prospect of stability in Mogadishu peeks over the horizon, but for what cost? The Islamist militias in Mogadishu have unified to do what not even the American military could do: secure the streets. Their power is now also legitimized by popular support. This is in stark contrast to the provisional government set up by an international coalition at Baidoa.
So, the new question that presents itself in this situation is, “How much should we pay for democracy?” What risks present themselves such that the international community cannot support this new form of government, which is, in fact, legitimized by its people? Does the emerging Islamic movement in Somalia have a legitimate claim to power?
These are questions to which I have no answers, which is why I ask. I look to you…