Restoring Somali Diplomacy with Vision and Integrity
In a time when global power plays shape the destiny of weaker nations, Somalia must reclaim its voice firm, independent, and principled. That voice must no longer be whispered through intermediaries or filtered through foreign interests. It must speak with clarity and confidence, rooted in the sovereign will of the Somali people. As one of the last surviving members of Somalia’s pre-collapse diplomatic generation, I have watched with deep concern how the nation’s foreign affairs have been diluted, politicized, and bypassed. I do not speak today to lament on how the past I speak to chart a path forward.
My service as Somalia’s acting Ambassador to Turkey, and earlier as Director of Finance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, granted me a front-row seat to the power and dignity that Somali diplomacy once carried. Our ambassadors were respected voices in global forums. Our ministry was filled with trained jurists, economists, and strategic thinkers. Our embassies did not exist merely to attend receptions; they served as forward bases for defending Somali interests and building global partnerships.
When I returned recently to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I saw a shadow of its former self. Once an institution of excellence, it now suffers from disarray, underfunding, and a corrosive politicization that hollowed out its purpose. Political appointees without diplomatic training now sit in roles once reserved for seasoned professionals.
Foreign actors, emboldened by weak institutions, often bypass the ministry entirely, dealing directly with political leaders and treating Somalia as a fragmented space rather than a sovereign nation.
In response, I wrote a comprehensive advisory letter to the Somali Ministry for Foreign Affairs. I suggested that our ambassadors should not be passive observers, but rather active agents of national policy. They must defend Somalia’s image, apply diplomatic pressure where needed, and forge strategic partnerships rooted in Somali needs not foreign agendas. More importantly, they must provide honest reporting to help build a long-term foreign policy shaped by truth, and not for convenience or appeasement.
What Somalia lacks today is not just capacity, but continuity, with each change of administration, foreign policy is rewritten. Priorities shift not based on strategy, but survival. Embassies are too often left rudderless, struggling to understand whether their mandate is political loyalty or national service. This cycle must end. Nations do not conduct foreign policy through improvisation. We need professionalism, institutional memory, and clear national objectives. We must build institutions that can outlast political seasons or leaders.
In my role as Vice President of the Global Somali Council, I have worked with other reformists to bridge Somali expertise across the world. From Mogadishu to Minneapolis, from Nairobi to Ottawa, there are capable Somali professionals who understand diplomacy, economics, and negotiation. We do not lack knowledge we lack a national framework that channels this knowledge into coherent policy. Our foreign policy should not serve political factions, nor should it mirror the interests of donors. It must represent the enduring interests of the Somali nation.
I support international partnership. Somalia can and should work closely with allies such as the United States, Turkey, the African Union, and others. But partnership must be built on mutual respect, not dependency. We must negotiate as equals, not clients. Somali diplomats must speak for Somalia not as foreign advisors. Our sovereignty is not symbolic; it is functional. If our ministries are bypassed, our statehood is eroded. If our diplomats are sidelined, our nation speaks in whispers while others decide our fate.
Reforming our foreign policy institutions is not a matter of prestige it is a matter of national survival. We need a permanent foreign policy structure led by professionals. We need a restructured Ministry of Foreign Affairs capable of leading strategy, not just managing protocol. And we need to train a new generation of Somali diplomats who understand that representing a country is not about ceremony it is about defending sovereignty and advancing national interest.
My generation does not provide nostalgia for the past. We provide lessons in the hard currency of experience for the future. The Somali Republic might have dissolved in disarray, but the art of national honor, statecraft, and diplomacy is irreplaceable. Today, with the challenges of external interference, climate shock, and divided government, we need to get back to basics: serious institutions, professional leadership, and national purpose. The things that define us as Somalis are our resilience and patience when we have nothing and our attitude when we have everything. Knowing our friends from our enemies and living in drought seasons honorably and in the rainy seasons prosperity always thankful to Allah SWT.
Somalia is not on the market. Neither is our foreign policy. If we are to reclaim the dignity of our nation, it will not be by slogans or fleeting compromise. It will be by hardworking men and women who grasp the game, who honor our sovereignty, and who are prepared to serve without fear or favor.
The age of excuses is over. The age of diplomacy genuine, constructive, Somali-led diplomacy begins today.
END
By: Ambassador Farah H. Amalo, Vice President, Global Somali Council (GSC)
COMMENTS