ABSTRACT
Starting in 1964, Somalia tried to take the diplomatic option to its logical conclusion by presenting its case to the Organization of African Unity as a colonial question, crying for equal treatment under the principles of law and the imperatives of decolonization. Somalia’s defection to the Soviets notwithstanding, the United States continued to find solace in two sources. First, the 8,000-strong Somali police force had been trained and equipped by the United States and West Germany. Second, the Somali political elite remained committed to capitalism, as evidenced by its continued interest in the logic of productionism. The apparent shift in Somalia’s regional orientation renewed American hopes regarding a regional constellation of client states opposed to both neutralism and communism. The impending shift in Somalia’s orientation was first signaled by the expulsion of American Peace Corps workers and by the elimination of most of the American Embassy staff, many of whom were charged with espionage.
