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All quiet on Somalia
Read more about: Foreign Affairs, Green Party, Labour Party, Sinn Féin
Update: America gets involved and the same day we get a press release how predictable. US air strikes in Somalia will escalate conflict, says Green Party. A Four year old is killed by Americans and John Gormley comes out and condemns it. 1000 people killed by Africans and he is at the sales. But of course this has got nothing to do with Anti-Americanism. 
Pathetic.
Update 2: Now Sinn Fein get in to the act.
Old post below fold.
During the crisis in Lebanon, many of the parties were quick to come out and called for ceasefires. They were also quick to look for solutions to the humanitarian crisis that emerged and calls for an urgent meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss Middle East crisis and parties urged the Dail to be recalled to debate the Lebanon crisis with calls for the EU to act. Today a crisis is brewing in Somalia, with already over one thousand people killed, pretty much the same death rate in the Lebanese conflict and it has not finished yet. Yet, at the time of writing, no party has released any press releases on the matter. Would it be awfully cynical of me to suggest there is no votes in African conflicts?
Look at the various press statments on Darfur, and that comment would appear unjustified. The issue would appear twofold; firstly it is the Christmas holidays and secondly people are not fully aware of the issues here - what do they say in the press release beyond war is bad, when they wouldn’t have the same knowledge of the issues as they would have in regard to Darfur, or the Lebannon.
Well on Darfur a search of the Labour site reveals 8 releases on Darfur and 26 on lebanon. Lebanon was far smaller and far shorter then darfur is.
A search of the green parties site returns 12 pages on Darfur and 18 on lebanon.
The fact that they have far more knowledge about then middle east then African conflicts. Says a lot
“The fact that they have far more knowledge about then middle east then African conflicts. Says a lot”
What exactly?
That the nation as a whole cares little for Africa
There’s some fairly large differences between Darfur and Leb, just for starters the Irish involvement in Leb, the Chinese involvement in Sudan and the accusations of colonialism against any western action in Africa
Also - bollocks. Ireland has involved itself in places like Ethiopia and militarily in Congo and Liberia. Sudan is a muslim country which says it will only deal with the african union which is a good way of saying no involvement at all
“That the nation as a whole cares little for Africa”
Not really - the involvement of NGOs there suggests otherwise, and ODA is seen as an African issue. People know next to nothing about Ethiopian and Somali politics, and have no real idea (much like the world at large) who they should support.
Anyone, what would your press release say on this subject? That something must be done?
People know next to nothing about Ethiopian and Somali politics,
that is exactly my point.
what would your press release say on this subject? That something must be done?
below is a Labour press release about the lebanon. could easily say the same about Somalia
“People know next to nothing about Ethiopian and Somali politics,
that is exactly my point.”
I thought your point was essentially - “Would it be awfully cynical of me to suggest there is no votes in African conflicts?”
My argument is that the lack of political debate on this primarily stems from of a lack of knowledge, rather than a lack of interest or care. The issues in the Lebannon were clear cut, or seen as such, it involved world powers, dominated the media and there was seen to be something that could be done, there doesn’t not seem to be anything close to the same clarity in this instance. Furthermore it is the holiday period. The press staff are most likely still on their holidays.
Your argument would seem to be thus. There was press releases on the Lebannon, there was not on Somalia. Therefore the political parties don’t care about Africa (sic). The conclusion is obviously wrong, as the debate on ODA, Darfur, Sierra Leone, etc will testify. It is also simplistic, and akin to me suggesting that you don’t care much for Africa because you didn’t post on the conflict between the Sudanese government and Chad.
Africa won’t be an election issue, but the political system here does take a real interest in developments there, at least on a superfical level there.
Basically what happens in the middle east gets far more coverage because it is easier for people to fit the conflict into their own ideological bent. It suits peoples pro/anti american views. While in Africa it does not.
As for your point about darfur as I pointed out. Darfur a conflict that make lebanon look like a pub brawl, it gets far less attention from the political parties then the other conflict. Darfur caused over 400 times the deaths but do you see 400 times the time spent on discussing what we can do to help the people of darfur. No of course not. The reason that their is a lack of knowledge is because there is a lack of interest. If people were interested in it the media would cover it and people would know about it. First rule of media give the people what they want. People are interested in the middle east so it gets covered.
That is a criticism of the media, not the political system.
“The reason that their is a lack of knowledge is because there is a lack of interest. If people were interested in it the media would cover it and people would know about it. First rule of media give the people what they want. People are interested in the middle east so it gets covered.”
Very, very simplistic. How pray tell is one to get an interest in the internal affairs of Equatorial Guinea or Burma?
How pray tell is one to get an interest in the internal affairs of Equatorial Guinea or Burma?
How does one come interested in the internal affairs of Lebanon? Is it not one of the jobs of political parties to lead the debate in this country to attempt to highlight the issues of the day that they feel should be addressed. Is that not the entire reason for press releases.
-How does one come interested in the internal affairs of Lebanon? -
Primarily as a reaction to the world media’s concentration on events there, and the importance of those events as it relates to tangible aspects of people’s lives - i.e. oil prices, Irish expats and the like.
Is it not one of the jobs of political parties to lead the debate in this country to attempt to highlight the issues of the day that they feel should be addressed.
It is. However, bar showing an aimless press release on the Lebannnon from Labour, you have yet to show what issues should be addressed in relation to the Somali conflict - the fact that you failed to include the only obvious action ( reducing Irish bi-lateral aid to Ethiopia) could suggest to the cynical that you yourself are not that pushed about the issue.
There is little point a political party trying to lead the debate on the subject, when there does not seem to be much clarity, anywhere, as to what should be done. Is this intervention actually a bad thing, is this more an issue with an increasingly nationalistic and authoratarian Ethiopian government, where the ICU associated with Al Queada and therefore is this part of the War on Terror - there are ranks of issues surronding this, far beyond the straightforward. And it is primarily that lasck of clarity which means it would be foolhardy to be sending out press releases on this. And press releases don’t lead to a national debate on something, least of all at this time of year.
It is not really my place or even this place to suggest what should be done. But one course of action would be for the government to push for UN peacekeepers on the ground. The Ethiopian army is on the ground supporting the internationally recognised government so for now reducing its aid would be incorrect. For the moment at least I would consider them legitimately in the country. However there continued presences is likely to stir up tensions.
Also considering that there is much displacement in the country it would seem blindingly obvious for a party to call for increased aid at the very least to be sent to Somalia. It does not even need clarity of the situation to call for more money and food be sent to the people and aid agencies on the ground.
Primarily as a reaction to the world media’s concentration on events there, and the importance of those events as it relates to tangible aspects of people’s lives - i.e. oil prices, Irish expats and the like.
Sad that.
You saying it is or it is not?
Simon
would you want the 850 peacekeepers authorised for deployment to be withdrawn from Leb to go to Somalia? (Also - watch Black Hawk Down before you answer)
Mark do you not think that, that should be something the parties should talk about? Especially compared to some of the other press release parties release. Should we not even get some party asking for the Dail to debate this issue.
The reason the parties were so quick to talk back then was due to the opportunity to get on the bandwagon of increasing Anti-Americanism. Labour, the Greens & Sinn Fein are best at this.
Well I, for one, have a great deal of interest in this particular topic and would have happily encouraged SF to issue a press statement on it. However, I was out of the country at the time and in fairness the party was a bit distracted by other matters.
In response to Simon’s analysis, the Somali government might be “internationally recognised” but it has virtually no legitimacy *within* Somalia, where (presumably) it ought to matter. Ethiopia’s invasion was aggressive and had more to do with its government’s paranoia about separatism within its own borders than with any real desire to promote the stability of its neighbour.
One of the major reasons that we’re really interested in the Middle East would be that it’s always been there. Same problems, new decade. And it’s a little disturbing that one of the states happens to be a nuclear power.
And of course, it’s linked to the second world war, which everybody has an opinion on.
I think if we’re going to compare the Somalian conflict to any other hotspot, it should probably be North Korea, or maybe even Burma.