US Cold War interests trumped support for democratic Somalia while backing feudal Ethiopia

Evidence

America’s stance on Somalia was in sharp contrast with its friendship with feudal Ethiopia, which treated most of its population as subjects rather than citizens. The issue of supporting a genuinely democratic Somalia was secondary to America’s Cold War interests in the region, and thus American administrations failed to appreciate Somalis’ sense of democracy and autonomy. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 848

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader postcolonial pattern of superpowers privileging geostrategy over democratic values.