File Photo/Somali Times
Eurasia Review
By Dr. Suleiman Walhad
There were strong leaders in the past and throughout history but not necessarily great leaders. Some of them built nations and/or empires but many also destroyed the very nations and empires they built. However both strong and great leaders left their marks that we still talk about them in history classes and many study them, especially those who aspire to become one or the other.
There is, however, no magic formula for becoming an effective leader. To becoming a leader of whatever consequence depends on the environment in which one lives and the resources available to one and many other factors. There were in history, leaders like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosvelt, Winsten Churchill, Prophet Mohamed, Napolean Bonaparte, Kublai Khan, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Mahatma Gandhi, and many others.
There are, however, traps in power which makes many a leader lose track of whatever one had in mind at the outset of a journey. There are many instances where circumstances and bad judgements have changed for leaders to end up with unexpected results.
For the First World War, the Germans are reported to have laid down a plan to carry out a two-front war, one against the French and the other against Russia where on the Russian side, they would hold a defensive way but on the French side an invading war. Unfortunately, the Germans violated the territorial integrity of neutral Belgium which brought in other powers like Britain into the war and which eventually led to the defeat of Germany. (Read Encyclopedia Britanica – the Schlieffen Plan).
The Schlieffen Plan could have worked but for the violation of Belgium neutrality and territory, which brought into the war, other forces like Britain, which were not in the plan. This is perhaps similar to the “Brilliant Plan” of PM Abiye Ahmed to take on a weakened Somalia and take on part of Somalia’s territory. The two countries could have lived in peace and both being subject to other malevolent forces, both natural and foreign, they could have faced together with other countries of the region and cooperated.
Seeing things only from one’s own perspective often leads to unexpected results as, in life, many elements and factors, many unexpected, can change matters away from a well worked out plan. The potential presence of Egyptian armed forces in the region and the Turkish navy in the waters of the region and perhaps a change of heart by the United Arab Emirates were not taken into consideration, apparently. The world of today looks at nations with their own borders as sacrosanct which should be respected.
Many leaders and in particular those in the African continent still think in terms of the old traditional tribal/clan chiefs where one person holds power throughout life. The continent and the region generally seems to be particularly inclined to this sense of chiefdom. The long presence in power like Museveni, Kagame, Silva Kiir, Paul Biya, and others are examples where leaders forget that they were elected for only a specified period. Once given the reins of power, they even change the laws to make the post of presidency and leadership especially suitable only for them. It is a dangerous act on their part, using government institutions to satisfy their power and hold onto it.
And still, many leaders start to believe in their own propaganda and become almost invincible to the miseries they cause not only to their people but also maybe to others. In the Horn of Africa States, the current Ethiopian administration maybe seeking to better the situation of its people and country, but they forget that they may also be causing more suffering to the Somali people, their brethren, who have been suffering from weak or no governance for a long time. A genuine helping hand could have resulted in both peoples living together in peace and facing the challenges of life together.
The current wars in the region, the civil wars of Ethiopia and Somalia in the main, are but symbols of failure in leadership. What makes a leader a good leader mostly depends on what kind of people and counsellors one surrounds around oneself. One should remember that a leader is a human being after all. A leader cannot know everything and cannot opine on everything. Even a family stays a family because of the continuing discussions among the mother and father and perhaps others in the family circle, on what is best.
There are times when the going gets tough. They often say only the tough get going. But that view is not always good for leaders of nations and responsible for the lives of millions of people. It is where the ability to relinquish power at times becomes necessary.
It is one of the hardest things for any leader to do, but it could also be one of the bravest a leader should do, when matters get more complicated and perhaps needs another leader to sort them out. We know many leaders stay on and clink to power, to eventually ruin their countries than bowing out at the appropriate times. It is our hope that the Horn African leaderships would weigh their situations for the betterment of their peoples than for their personal developments, for good or bad.
We also know that some leaders have good luck, and others may have bad luck. Circumstances and the environment also play significant roles. At present the Horn of Africa States, is, indeed, suffering not only from failure of leadership but also from its resources, which include among others, its geostrategic location, which attracts many other forces. It would have been much better if the leaders of the region were working together and cooperating in the place of throwing verbal and physical stones at each other.
No one country can have its own way alone in the region and it is where the responsibility to handle some 160 million lives becomes heavier by the day. It is working together and creating a peaceful environment becomes necessary even if one has to leave a leadership position if that would heal the region or the individual countries. I know many will be throwing stones at me and my articles, but the region needs to look into itself and quite frankly, the traps of power is ruining the region at present.