Foreign Policy, a leading international publication covering global politics, security, economics and U.S. foreign affairs, has published an analysis arguing that Washington should consider recognizing the Republic of Somaliland, linking such a move to U.S. strategic interests in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
The analysis, written by Steven A. Cook, a Foreign Policy contributor and expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, presents a case for U.S. recognition of Somaliland and questions the geopolitical calculations behind opposition to the territory’s independence.
The article notes that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in late December 2025 triggered strong reactions from governments across the region and beyond. However, Cook questions whether the opposition is driven solely by the principle of protecting Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity.
Instead, he argues that geopolitical and strategic interests play a significant role in shaping the positions of regional states toward Somaliland.
The analysis also revisits Somaliland’s historical status, noting that it was formerly a British protectorate and gained independence in 1960 before voluntarily entering into a union with Somalia.
Following years of conflict and the collapse of Somalia’s central government, Somaliland reasserted its independence in 1991. Since then, it has spent more than three decades developing its own political institutions, security forces, military structures and system of governance.
According to the analysis, this history gives Somaliland a distinctive legal and political position compared with other territories seeking to break away from established states.
The article further points to examples from the Middle East and the wider region where governments that now strongly oppose Somaliland’s recognition have previously supported or engaged with territories and administrations whose political status remains disputed.
This, the analysis suggests, raises questions about the consistency with which the principle of territorial integrity is applied in international politics.
At the heart of the argument is Somaliland’s strategic location along the Gulf of Aden and near the Red Sea, an increasingly important corridor for global trade, maritime security and regional geopolitics.
The analysis therefore frames recognition not only as a question of Somaliland’s political status but also as a potential strategic calculation for Washington as it seeks to strengthen its position in the Horn of Africa and secure vital maritime routes.
It argues that if states have historically made exceptions to the principle of territorial integrity when political and strategic interests demanded it, Somaliland should not be judged exclusively through the argument of preserving Somalia’s unity.
The debate ultimately places Somaliland’s longstanding quest for international recognition within a broader question facing policymakers: whether geopolitical realities and strategic interests should influence how the international community approaches territories with established institutions, a distinct political history and longstanding claims to statehood.