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Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s Use of Military Force as an Instrument of Foreign Policy in Post-1991 Somalia

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  • Tadie Degie Yigzaw

    (Tadie Degie Yigzaw is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. He also served as a lecturer at Bahir Dar University. He published numerous articles that bring a security perspective to the fields of international relations and peace studies. This article is derived from one of his dissertations, ‘Military Intervention in the Horn of Africa: Kenya’s and Ethiopia’s Security Engagement in Somalia.’)

  • Kidane Mengisteab

    (Kidane Mengisteab is an African Studies and Political Science Professor at Pennsylvania State University in the United States. The focus of his current research includes the relevance of ‘traditional’ institutions in Africa’s governance, the socioeconomic implications of the expansion of extractive industries and commercial farming in Africa and alternative approaches to democratisation in the African continent. He is the author and/or editor of several books on Africa. His most recent book is titled ‘The Horn of Africa: Hot Spots in Global Politics.’ London: Polity Press, 2015. Mengisteab’s co-edited the book ‘Traditional Institutions in Contemporary African Governance’, which is in press. He is currently working on a book titled Alternative Approaches to Democratization in Africa.)

Abstract

In the history of politics, states have viewed military intervention as one of their tools of foreign policy. However, many scholars have not agreed on the effectiveness of military means in achieving the foreign policy objectives of states. Like other states, Ethiopia and Kenya have used the military as a means of foreign policy and tested their tools in Somalia practically. However, the effectiveness of their foreign policy tool has not been studied. That is why this article’s main objective is to analyse the effectiveness of Ethiopian and Kenyan foreign policies that used military interventions to achieve their foreign policy goals in terms of outcomes. In doing so, the article used a comparative case study methodology. Besides, the ‘good enough’ approach is the proper theoretical lens that is used in this article to comprehend Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s operational outcomes. The analysis comes to the conclusion that both Kenya’s and Ethiopia’s military deployments in Somalia generally failed to accomplish their foreign policy goals. Accordingly, the findings reveal that using hard power as a tool of foreign policy without combining soft power is largely unsuccessful, as indicated by Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s military engagement in Somalia.

Suggested Citation

  • Tadie Degie Yigzaw & Kidane Mengisteab, 2024. "Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s Use of Military Force as an Instrument of Foreign Policy in Post-1991 Somalia," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 80(1), pages 133-148, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:80:y:2024:i:1:p:133-148
    DOI: 10.1177/09749284231225836
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