R.T. Naylor, of Satanic Purses and Wages of Crime fame (and professor of economics at McGill University) has a piece in today’s CP on Somalia.

The Somalian Labyrinth

Here’s a clip — to give you a quick taste — if you’re not already familiar with the man’s work :

It remains somewhat of a mystery why the U.S. military blundered into Somalia in the first place. Even the most doctrinaire Marxist would have trouble blaming old-fashioned economic imperialism. Nearly 75 percent of the population lived a pastoral existence; manufacturing was almost nonexistent; and agriculture had been savaged by drought and war. Perhaps the fact that bananas were the main export crop triggered in Washington a conditioned reflex. Although indications of offshore deposits had excited some big oil companies, the discoveries came during a world glut. Apart from camels (hardly to U.S. taste even before 9/11) and cattle (of which the U.S. scarcely needed more), about the only local product foreigners found of interest was the gum from some of Somalia’s unique trees, which for more than four thousand years had yielded frankincense and myrrh. While a Christian “fundamentalist” might see that as ample reason to sound boots and saddles, at the time of the decision to intervene the U.S. was under the reign of George I, not his Born-Again son. In any case, the trees were in a part of the country that had already seceded by the time U.S. troops arrived in Muqdisho, the capital city.

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On a more sober note

OPEN QUOTE

after 9/11 [the US treasury] had blocked on virtually a world-wide basis the transfer of funds from the Somali Diaspora to families back home—at a time when those remittances, annually around $250 million (some estimates ran to $500 million), were THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE COUNTRY AFLOAT.

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POS Pendejos.

Ethnic Somalis who comprise 60 percent of the population in northeastern Kenya . . .

The US Embassy compound in Mogadishu, the first destination for the invading Ethiopian forces? Was originally a gift to the US Government from Conoco.

This sounds like one of those cinematic plots where gun runners are threatening U.S. high-ups with politically explosive blackmail. Probably nothing geostrategic about it.

Damned Oil Robber Barons.

South West Energy, a new company registered in Hong Kong, is to prospect for petroleum in the Ogaden basin, in East Ethiopia.

Abiy Hunegnaw, head of the Petroleum Operations Department with the MoME, told The Reporter that the Ogaden basin was the most prospective sedimentary basin for oil discovery. Abiy said the fact that the geological formation of the Ogaden basin was similar with the basins in the Middle East made Ogaden a very promising area. “Since the second world War several companies had undertaken geological surveys in Ogaden. And the gas discovery in Calub and Hillala localities confirms the oil prospectivity of the Ogaden basin,” Abiy said. “The number of companies coming to Ethiopia for petroleum development projects is increasing. And the ministry encourages these companies to undertake exhaustive geological surveys in the exploration areas,” he said.

Ogaden rebels challenge Ethiopia’s oil deal with Lundin

(14/11/06) Somali rebels in Ethiopia’s troubled eastern Ogaden province have warned the Swedish oil company Lundin Petroleum, which signed a large-scale exploration deal with Addis Ababa. The Swedes were engaging in a war zone, the rebels noted, adding that oil exploration activities at the current stage were “both unrealistic and unwelcome.”
In a message to chairman Ian Lundin of the Swedish oil company, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) warns against any oil deals in the troubled Ogaden province of Ethiopia. The ONLF fights for autonomy or inclusion into Somalia for the Ogaden region, which is dominated by ethnic Somalis and only became Ethiopian in the 20th century.

Somalia and Ethiopia have fought several wars over Ogaden and the Somali Islamist currently ruling in Mogadishu want to include the province in a Greater Somalia. The province now experiences a low-profile armed conflict between the Mogadishu-supported ONFL and the Ethiopian army, with occasional ONLF sabotage of infrastructureand Ethiopian mass arrests of alleged rebel supporters.
The Ogaden province is also Ethiopia’s most promising region regarding mineral resources, and international oil companies are highly optimistic on finding commercially exploitable reservoirs of hydrocarbons here. Ethiopia is predicted to become an oil exporting nation within short, basing most of its hopes on Ogaden.

Only very recently, the Stockholm-based oil company Lundin and the Addis Ababa government heralded a wide-ranging production sharing contract for two blocks in the onshore Ogaden Basin, spanning over 24,000 sq km. Lundin said it held a 100 % share at Blocks 2 and 6 for the duration of the exploration period, while the Ethiopian government had an option to participate with up to a 10 % interest following any commercial discovery. Lundin pointed to “documented” indications of light oil, gas and condensate at the two blocks.
One week after the optimistic notions released by the Swedes, however, the ONLF insists on cooling down the euphoria.
“While you may have been given security guarantees by the Ethiopian government it is imperative that you understand that the regime is not now nor has it ever been in effective control of the Ogaden,” the rebels told Mr Lundin.

According to the rebels, the ongoing armed conflict in Ogaden “makes for an insecure environment for any mineral exploration to occur,” as clashes between the ONLF and Ethiopian armed forces occur “on a regular basis throughout Ogaden.”
“The areas covered by the Production Sharing Contract signed between you and the Ethiopian regime are well within our scope of military operations and as such the security of your operations cannot be guaranteed,” the ONLF statement says. “We therefore strongly advise you against this planned investment given the current conflict which exists between our troops and those of the Ethiopian regime.”

The Ogaden rebels claim that they have been in contact with several other oil companies that previously had been interested in signing a similar contract with Addis Ababa authorities, and had managed to convince them against such a deal due to security problems. Petronas of Malaysia, Gail and the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation of India among others earlier had “expressed a similar interest in Ogaden,” the rebels say.
In a more reconciling tone, the ONLF letter to Mr Lundin emphasises that the Ogaden rebels “have no dispute with Lundin Petroleum.” However, the ONLF as a matter of policy could “not permit the exploitation of mineral resources in Ogaden until such time that a legitimate form of self-government exists in Ogaden,” the statement says, indicating Lundin’s investments and installations could become the aim of ONLF attacks.

While both Lundin Petroleum and the ONLF emphasise on the special role of the Swedish oil company in Ogaden following the production sharing contract, Ethiopian Mines and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu held that a total of five international companies were by now engaged in petroleum exploration and development activities in the country. He in particular mentioned Malaysia-based Pexco as a company operating in Ogaden, while not mentioning Lundin.
According to Minister Tegenu, negotiations were in progress between the Ethiopian government and Petronas, another Malaysian company, for the development of Kalub and Hilala natural gas deposits in Ogaden, where also Lundin is operating. Other official Ethiopian sources claimed Petronas had already won a bid for the development of Kalub and Hilala.

Target of opportunituy. US commanders are free to go after any target of iSLAmic terrorists that they can get.

U.S. Targeted Assassination in Somalia, Many Civilians Reported Killed – Audio Interview with Salim Lone Reports have also emerged that suggest U.S. Special Forces and CIA paramilitary teams are now directly embedded with Ethiopian forces in Somalia. Earlier this year, the CIA was accused of backing a group of Somali warlords.

well nobby then i guess america is and any american or us ally is fair game for the moslims too. and just out of curiosity, where in the constitution does it say US commanders are free to wage war anywhere with muslims? by your countries rules you are a traitor. i don’t follow them rules so i just think you’re a knob.

U.S. Launches New Airstrike in Somalia

By ROBERT BURNS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; 11:05 AM

WASHINGTON — The United States launched an airstrike in Somalia against suspected terrorist targets _ the second such attack this month, defense officials said Wednesday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the action was carried out in secret, provided few details about the strike by an Air Force AC-130 gunship earlier this week and were uncertain whether the intended target was killed. (more)