By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

[Jaylaani]

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

 

 

Here’s the ethos of Somalia, as a former Mogadishu

resident explained it to me: “If I use a dollar to buy

food, then tomorrow I have nothing. If I use a dollar

to buy a bullet, then I can eat every day.”

 

That enterprising can-do spirit has turned most of

Somalia into the poster child of a failed state, where

you feel underdressed without an assault rifle. But

wait! Here in the north of the carcass of Somalia is

the breakaway would-be nation of Somaliland, and it is

a remarkable success — for a country that doesn’t

exist.

 

The U.S. and other governments don’t recognize

Somaliland, so the people here get next to zero

foreign aid. And when the “country” was formed in

1991, it had been mostly obliterated in a civil war

and was a collection of ruins and land mines.

 

Yet the clans and elders here formed their own

government, held free elections and even established

an international airline. Relying on free markets and

a general exhaustion with violence, the people of

Somaliland embraced tranquillity and democracy and

searched for ways to make a buck.

 

Walk down the streets of Hargeisa, the capital of

Somaliland, and instead of gunmen you come across the

thriving jewelry and financial market: scores of

vendors, most of them women, are hawking millions of

dollars worth of gold, precious stones and foreign

currency out in the open air. (Don’t try that at

home!) Continue down the street, and you see that

Hargeisa has police cars, DHL service, cable

television, orthodontists, a multitude of Internet

cafes and traffic jams (including the horses and

camels). There are public schools and hospitals — even

a public library.

 

This is a conservative Muslim country, yet it is

generally pro-American and tolerant. In the last

election, more women voted than men. Women’s groups

are fighting the traditional practice of genital

mutilation, administered to 97 percent of girls here.

 

The lesson of Somaliland is simple: the most important

single determinant of a poor country’s success is not

how much aid it receives but how well it is run. If a

country adheres to free markets and good political and

economic governance, it will generate domestic and

foreign investments that dwarf any amount of aid.

 

As President Dahir Rayale Kahin told me: “There is a

proverb in our country: ‘You can wash your body only

with your own hand.’ Outsiders can help, but the

indigenous people must find a solution themselves.”

 

One lesson is that Western countries should not only

increase their financial aid but also their pressure

for better governance. It’s great to forgive debts,

but not graft or antimarket policies.

 

The U.S. Millennium Challenge aid program, which

promotes good governance, is a useful step in that

direction. So is Tony Blair’s program to battle

corruption in Africa.

 

One useful kind of Western aid is simply support for

civil-society groups that battle corruption. Here in

Somaliland, the press is generally free, but the

president recently tossed three journalists in prison

for reporting on corruption in his family. If Western

countries speak out strongly in their defense, that

effort may be worth a few million dollars in aid by

reducing corruption in the future.

 

More peer pressure from within Africa would also help.

Other African countries should stand up to a racist

like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe with the same vigor

they once used to stand up to white racist

governments.

 

Another essential kind of foreign aid is supporting

market-friendly economic policies, especially those

that would nurture manufacturing industries.

 

In Mauritania, whose location in northwestern Africa

would be ideal for exporting clothing to Europe and

America, it takes 82 days to start a new business,

which would then have to make 61 tax payments each

year, requiring 696 hours to calculate and pay. And in

the end, the tax would amount to 104.3 percent of the

profit, according to the World Bank.

 

All that explains why you don’t have any shirts in

your closet labeled “Made in Mauritania.”

 

So let’s be more generous with foreign aid, giving

more than 22 cents per $100 of national income to

development assistance (the average for rich countries

is 47 cents). But those of us who call for aid and

debt forgiveness also need to push just as hard for

recipient nations to improve their governance, for

ultimately the best way for poor countries to prosper

is to adopt pro-growth policies.

 

And in the meantime, it’s time to recognize Somaliland

as a nation. When a place does this well, we should

hail it as a model, not shun it.

[Socod_badne]

This article has already been posted.

 

http://www.somaliaonline.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=009588;p=1#000000

[Jaylaani]

Is there penalty posting it again?

 

I like it so post it here. Is that a crime bro?

 

BTW, This is not an article.....

[Socod_badne]

Of course, you're hogging, not to mention wasting, all the bandwidth.

[Jaylaani]

Ok, send me the bill!