Globalaffairs

Issue 17/October-November 2009
By Erica L. Green

Newly elected Somalia President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has a tall order on his hands as he tries to stabilize a country that has seen economic and social unrest for the last 20 years. On his first United States visit to Chicago last month, he faced a receptive but anxious crowd eager to hear answers to Somalia’s increasing indiscretion towards the industrialized world - piracy.

Ahmed staged a grand balcony entrance with an entourage of multinational dignitaries, and then proceeded to address questions about stabilization in northeast Africa. The audience, arranged by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, was predominantly students, Somalia nationals, and local dignitaries. Ahmed’s speech began with a brief overview of Somalia’s turbulent past.

The geographic state of Somalia as we know it today is quite different from what it was not too long ago. Over the past 50 years several colonies have gained independence from Britain and Italy to unite as one socialist state [6]. General Siyad Barreh assumed and held power for the majority of that time until he was overthrown in 1991 [6], and the country has not known stability since [2]. Instead, it has been run by warlords who have failed to find a replacement leader [2].

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Issue 17/ October-November 2009
By Niruban Balachandran

On the 2nd of October, the majority of the citizens of the Republic of Ireland voted “Yes” on the Treaty of Lisbon in a nationwide referendum, enabling the 27-nation European Union (EU) to play a more powerful role in international affairs. The Treaty’s creation of a full-time EU presidential post, a foreign policy chief and a diplomatic service will, for the first time in the EU’s history, allow for a singular representative on the global stage that will stand for a unified foreign policy for all 27 nations in the bloc.

The Treaty of Lisbon is intended to upgrade Brussels’ functioning by streamlining its decision-making and voting systems, since the previous system was an outdated throwback to the time when the EU consisted of only 15 nations. The Treaty will also replace the rotating-presidency system with a full-time 2 ½ year term presidency, empowering the EU Parliament with a broader legislative space of multiple new policy areas (including asylum issues and criminal justice), enacting the 2000 Charter of Fundamental Rights as legally binding for the first time, and finally, creating the equivalent of the EU’s own foreign minister and diplomatic service. (1)

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Issue 17/ October-November 2009
By Danny Mauricio Suárez

The military pact that is to be closed between Columbia and the United States through which the US military will cooperate with Columbia at seven military bases, is a dire necessity for Columbia in its battle against drug trafficking and the terrorism of the FARC guerrilla movement that have been wreaking havoc in the country for over 50 years, but at the same time is awkward for its neighbours.

The aid agreement and military collaboration between the two countries, however, are not new; contrary to what their neighbouring nations believe, the United States have been an unconditional ally of the Columbian government contributing military aid for over 10 years with the added total of six billion dollars. The collaboration has been decisive in cornering the FARC and disbanding several drug cartels headed up by Diego León Montoya also known as “Don Diego”, captured and extradited to the United States where he was sentenced to 45 years for drug trafficking, as well as disbanding the paramilitary groups led by Salvatore Mancuso; Diego Fernando Murilla known as “Don Berna”, Rodrigo Tovar Pupo known as “Jorge 40″; and José Ever Veloza García knows as “H.H.” amongst others, who were also extradited to the United States.

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