Secretary of State Clinton met Thursdaywith Somali President Sharif Sheik Ahmed, expressing support for his embattledTransitional Federal Government, the TFG.
TheTFG is fighting Islamist militias, who control more of the country than thegovernment does. The ongoing conflicthas created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters with hundreds ofthousands of people displaced and millions in need of food aid and otherassistance.
DavidShinn, adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at GeorgeWashington University and a former ambassador to Ethiopia, considers themeeting significant.
"It'sthe highest level meeting that any American official has ever given to PresidentAhmed. So that's important. It clearly underscores the interest that theUnited States has in reaching some sort of satisfactory resolution to theconflict in Somalia," he says.
Hesays the amount of US moral and material support for the TFG "is greater thanon any previous occasion in recent years."
Mrs.Clinton Thursday pledged that the US would "expand and extend" its support.
Shinnsays, "Expand could simply mean increasing the amounts of?humanitarianassistance, or even semi-development aid?. That's been going on for many years, including under the BushAdministration. And it's beensignificant."
Itmay also mean greater support for the African Union, which has peacekeepers inSomalia.
"Thenew part of the equation or relatively new part is the military assistance thatwas announced more than a month ago, which my understanding is, contrary to thepress reports?amounted to about $5 million and 80 tons of largely ammunitionand small arms," he says.
Mediareports often put the figures at $10 million and 40 tons in supplies.
Hesays it appears the ammunition and small arms were passed through the AU forcesto TFG security forces.
"Itmay mean an increase in that military assistance. Although she clearly did not specify that andthere are no details as to whether there will be any increase," he says.
Shinnalso says the US is involved in the training of TFG security forces inDjibouti, something other countries and the UN have been doing in regards topolice training.
Duringthe previous Bush administration, critics said the State Department had beenweakened in favor of the Pentagon. Inother words, that the Bush administration preferred a military approach toSomalia rather than a diplomatic one. Critics also said ,as a result, the new Obama administration is forcedto rely more heavily on the military option.
"I'mnot sure I accept that. I'm not sure Iaccept the criticism for either the Bush or the Obama administrations. There are significant limits to what you cando in Somalia," he says.
Shinnhad been critical of US aerial attacks in Somalia against suspected terroristsites. He says they created a majorbacklash among the Somali people. Sofar, there have not been similar attacks under President Obama.
"Onthe other hand the Obama administration has started providing militaryassistance, which was not being done during the Bush administration, whichwould suggest a strong Pentagon role," he says.
But,he adds, "If that's what is required to keep the Transitional FederalGovernment up and functioning, then I think it's hard to criticize it."
SecretaryClinton also warned Eritrea not to support Somali extremists, saying it couldface penalties. It's a warning that also was made by the Bush administration.
Shinnsays this could mean seeking UN sanctions, rather than putting Eritrea on theUS list of state sponsors of terrorism.
"No one has really tipped their handas to which direction this might go,' he says.