WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2026 (Horndiplomat) — A prominent U.S. foreign-policy analyst has urged President Donald Trump’s administration to recognise Somaliland, arguing that closer relations with Hargeisa would advance American security and economic interests in the strategically important Red Sea region.
The commentary, published by Foreign Policy during Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro’s” landmark working visit to the United States, was written by Steven A. Cook, a columnist at the magazine and a senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“The United States has good reason to recognize Somaliland,” Cook wrote. “Somalilander officials want Washington as a partner, and importantly, they have something to offer.”
Cook said Somaliland’s position on the Gulf of Aden, its deep-water Berbera port and nearby airfield could make it a valuable U.S. partner at a time of heightened concern over Red Sea shipping, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“What country sits on the African shore of the Gulf of Aden? Somaliland,” he wrote, describing Berbera as a potentially valuable location from which Washington could monitor regional threats and protect freedom of navigation.
The column’s publication coincided with Irro’s arrival in Washington for his first working visit to the United States since taking office in December 2024. The timing gives added prominence to Somaliland’s campaign for deeper political, security and commercial relations with Washington.
Cook portrayed Somaliland as a relatively stable and democratic partner in a volatile region, citing its functioning political institutions and the peaceful transfer of power following Irro’s victory in the November 2024 presidential election.
He also highlighted Somaliland’s preference for closer relations with the United States, its distance from China and its willingness to offer access to strategic minerals and security facilities. Somaliland has also developed close relations with Israel, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, all important U.S. partners in the wider region.
Israel recognised Somaliland in late December 2025, becoming the first United Nations member state to formally acknowledge its independence. The decision was rejected by Somalia, the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union and several Middle Eastern governments, which reaffirmed their support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Cook argued that much of the opposition was driven by regional geopolitical competition rather than consistent adherence to the principle of territorial integrity.
Somaliland voluntarily united with the former Italian-administered Somalia in 1960 but restored its independence in 1991 following years of war and repression under the government of Mohamed Siad Barre. It has since maintained its own government, currency, armed forces and democratic institutions, although it has struggled to secure broad international recognition.
The article acknowledged challenges facing Somaliland, including disputes in some eastern areas and accusations that authorities have restricted civil liberties. However, Cook noted that Irro had committed his administration to resolving political differences through peaceful dialogue.
Senior officers from the United States Africa Command have visited Hargeisa, reflecting growing American interest in Somaliland’s strategic position. Cook said the relationship should ultimately extend beyond military cooperation to include broader diplomatic and economic engagement.
Recognising Somaliland could strain Washington’s relations with countries including Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, all of which support Somalia’s territorial claims. Cook nevertheless argued that those governments should not be allowed to determine U.S. policy when major American security interests are involved.
“Turkish, Egyptian, and Saudi leaders should not have a veto over U.S. policy,” he wrote, citing the need to confront the Houthis and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards while protecting international shipping.
Cook concluded that formally upgrading relations with Hargeisa represented a rare strategic opportunity for the United States in the Horn of Africa and Middle East.
“For the sake of both Somaliland and U.S. interests,” he wrote, “it is time to give up the pretense of Somalia’s territorial integrity.”
Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East.
