Washington (SLpost)- Joshua Meservey, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, has said Somaliland needs to strengthen and consistently articulate the strategic and national-interest arguments for why the United States should recognize Somaliland.
Meservey made the remarks following his engagement with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), who was a guest at the Hudson Institute in Washington on September 14 during his official visit to the United States.
During the Hudson Institute event, Meservey interviewed President Irro and asked him dozens of questions addressing Somaliland’s position in the geopolitics of the Horn of Africa and broader international affairs. The discussion covered issues relevant to Somaliland’s potential role as a strategic partner and its efforts to secure international recognition.
Speaking to i24NEWS on Wednesday, Meservey said Somaliland has not consistently made the case for why its recognition is necessary from the perspective of countries whose foreign-policy decisions are primarily driven by national interests.
“The Somalilanders have not been able to consistently make the case for why recognition is necessary,” Meservey said.
He acknowledged that Somaliland has arguments based on the desirability or justice of recognition, but said those arguments need to be complemented by a more explicitly geopolitical case.
“Sometimes the argument can be, well, it would be nice or a good thing or the right thing to do, and I agree with many of those arguments,” he said. “But when we’re talking about geopolitics, when we’re talking about national interests, you have to make the hard-headed realist case.”
Meservey specifically pointed to the United States, saying Somaliland needs to explain clearly why recognition would be in Washington’s national interest.
“In this case, to the United States, why it’s necessary for the U.S. to recognize Somaliland,” he said.
According to Meservey, Hargeisa has not been sufficiently consistent or strategic in presenting that argument. He described this as one of the key challenges facing Somaliland as it seeks to advance its diplomatic campaign.
“I think Hargeisa hasn’t been consistent enough or strategic enough in making that case,” Meservey said.
He identified this as the “next step” for Somaliland, arguing that its diplomatic strategy should focus on developing a coherent national-interest-based argument and presenting it consistently to policymakers in Washington as well as decision-makers in other world capitals.
“So that’s the next step for Somaliland. That’s the challenge,” Meservey said. “How does it make the hard-headed sort of realist, national-interest-based case consistently, appropriately, strategically in Washington, but also in other capitals around the world?”
Meservey’s comments come as President Irro continues his official engagements in Washington, where Somaliland’s pursuit of international recognition and its potential strategic role in the Horn of Africa and the wider Red Sea region have been central themes of his diplomatic outreach.
The Hudson Institute discussion on September 14 provided a detailed platform for President Irro to respond to questions about Somaliland’s foreign policy, regional geopolitics and its relationship with potential international partners.
Meservey’s subsequent comments to i24NEWS highlight a particular dimension of Somaliland’s recognition campaign: the need to connect its case not only to questions of history, law and political aspirations, but also to the concrete strategic interests of governments whose recognition it seeks.
Reporting by Somalilandpost News
