ABSTRACT
The apparent decomposition of the Ethiopian empire, the military prowess of the Eritrean nationalists, the strains in US-Ethiopian relations, and the value of Soviet-Somali alliance were collectively taken as permanent and absolute, making Ethiopia vulnerable to Somali military aggression. By midsummer of 1992, however, other forces began to pull the Bush Administration in the opposite direction—humanitarian intervention. In August, the US Congress passed a joint resolution, calling for American leadership in the humanitarian effort in Somalia. The Clinton Administration pledged itself to leaving 9,000 troops to form part of UNISM, and covering a third of the cost needed to sustain the humanitarian mission. The contemporary Somali problem cannot be understood apart from the manner by which it has been integrated into the world capitalist system. By the end of March of 1994, there were only 147 American officials left in Somalia together with 50 Marine Guards.
