Somalia's Crisis Grows

Somalia is a Sunni Muslim country located in the Horn of Africa. It has experienced almost continual civil and political strife since its independence from Italy in 1960. The 2006 invasion from neighboring Ethiopia was only the most recent instance of conflict with its neighbor. The capitol city is Mogadishu of "Blackhawk Down" fame. Its people are dying of hunger.

In a story released today, the BBC indicated that the number of people in the country in dire need of food assistance will reach approximately 3.5 million in this year. That is about 1/3 of the population of the country.

The political and religious climate as well as the lack of a controlling governmental force makes it extremely difficult to provide aid to these starving people. Humanitarian groups are threatened and often attacked by various militant forces when they attempt to deliver aid. Such delivery is further complicated by the constant movement of people seeking refuge from those same militant forces and from the harsh, drought-prone climate. Many of them will die.

Humanitarian aid isn't the answer for the country. It only treats a symptom. Political stability is what is needed. The collapse of the government has led to widespread capitalism instead of the socialism that was present previously. It is the capitalism of survival through opportunism. It is also dominated by warlords whose protection is necessary for survival.

My question to you is this: Would it be a just war to invade Somalia for the purpose of bringing stability to the nation?

Pragmatically, we would have little to gain. The country contains no known deposits of oil or natural gas. There are no major natural resources for exploitation. The history of warfare between the various tribes is unlikely to ever result in a stable self-government. Stability might reduce the amount of humanitarian aid that is sent there every year. Yet, people there continue to die of starvation.