The World Needs Governments Standing Up for Freedom and Democracy: St Lucia should follow Taiwan’s lead and recognize Somaliland, writes Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC and former Pentagon official
By Michael Rubin
St Lucia stands apart. It is not only a Caribbean leader in sustainable development and tourism, but it also remains a beacon for moral clarity. It is, for example, one of only 15 states—and three Caribbean states–that recognizes Taiwan. On October 10, 2019, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet visited Taipei to commemorate the founding of the Republic of China. Edwin Laurent, St Lucia ambassador to Taiwan, explained last that month that despite Beijing’s pressure, he did not see mainland China able to sway pro-Taiwan public sentiment because both Taiwan and St Lucia embraced a common view of “democracy, rule of law, and freedoms.”
St Lucia can use its moral high ground, however, to expand such sentiments further. On July 1, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it and the East African nation of Somaliland would establish diplomatic offices in each other’s capitals and exchange diplomats. At its independence from Great Britain in 1960, 30 countries—including all five Security Council members—recognized Somaliland. The country then entered a voluntary union with Italian Somaliland to form Somalia. It was not a happy marriage: Somali dictator Siyad Barre waged a genocidal campaign against Somaliland’s predominant Isaaq clan. When he fell in 1991, Somaliland re-asserted its independence, but its previous recognition did not revert.
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That has not stopped Somaliland to become the Taiwan of the region. While Somalia descended into state failure, Somaliland remained stable. While Somalia remains a country whose president is selected by a handful of appointed parliamentarians, Somaliland has had five one-man, one-vote elections secured by biometric iris scans. While China pillages Somalia’s offshore resources, Somaliland has, like St Lucia, become a leader in sustainable development and eco-tourism. It has even faced down Emirati royals who tried to illegally smuggle or hunt cheetahs and other wildlife. While Transparency International has ranked Somalia as the world’s most corrupt country for a decade, Somaliland remains business-friendly. It hosts Africa’s second-largest Coca Cola bottling plant and is a leader in digital currency.
Despite its democracy, isolation takes a toll. Because no country formally recognizes it, it remains outside the SWIFT international banking system. In practice, this means all international transfers must go through Djibouti, Ethiopia, or Somalia. Its lack of formal independence also hamper access to international assistance—a public health risk at a time of COVID-19.
Traditional arguments that new country recognition in Africa would open an endless cascade of claimants and border adjustments do not apply, both the British protectorate established its borders by treaty and the international community recognizes them in 1960. Diplomats from its largest neighbor and largest trading partner Ethiopia often quip that they will not be the first country to recognize Somaliland, but they will not be the third to do so either. Gambia also appears ready to act.
St Lucia already pursues a principled foreign policy. By looking beyond the Caribbean as it has done with Taiwan, St Lucia can not only forge new like-minded partnerships and assist a country which also shares historical ties to Britain, but it can also win an instant business and banking partner while also cementing its position as a leader for the democracy bloc on the world stage. Certainly, in these troubled times, the world needs governments standing up for freedom and democracy.
About Michael Rubin
Senior Fellow
Research Areas
Arab politics, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Horn of Africa
Bio & Experience
Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Iran, Turkey, and the broader Middle East.
A former Pentagon official, Dr. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre-and postwar Iraq. He also spent time with the Taliban before 9/11. For more than a decade, he taught classes at sea about the Horn of Africa and Middle East conflicts, culture, and terrorism, to deployed US Navy and Marine units.
Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, including “Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East?” (AEI Press, 2019); “Kurdistan Rising” (AEI Press, 2016); “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter Books, 2014); and “Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos” (Palgrave, 2005).
Dr. Rubin has a Ph.D. and an MA in history from Yale University, where he also obtained a BS in biology.
Experience
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- Foreign Military Studies Office: Contract Analyst, 2012–present
- Naval Postgraduate School: Senior Lecturer, 2007–21
- Middle East Quarterly: Editor, 2004–09
- Coalition Provisional Authority (Baghdad): Political Adviser, 2003–04
- Office of the Secretary of Defense: Staff Adviser, Iran and Iraq, 2002–04
- Council on Foreign Relations: International Affairs Fellow, 2002–03
- Hebrew University (Jerusalem): Fellow, The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations, 2001–02
- Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs: Fellow, 2000–01
- Universities of Sulaymani, Salahuddin, and Duhok (Iraqi Kurdistan): Visiting Lecturer, 2000–01
- Yale University: Lecturer, Department of History, 1999–2000
- Iranian Studies: Assistant Editor, 1994–97
Education
Ph.D. and MA in history; BS in biology, Yale University
Contact
Send Email: mrubin@aei.org
Twitter: @mrubin1971
Media Request
Brady Africk
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Send Email: Brady.Africk@AEI.org
