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Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 26, 2026, 10:09 PM

Somaliland’s Strategic Moment: Geography Is Not Enough

Somaliland's Strategic Moment: Berbera, maritime security and the changing geopolitical order of the Red Sea. HOASR Original Infographic.

The Red Sea’s changing security order has brought Somaliland new diplomatic attention. President Irro’s challenge is to turn that attention into lasting economic, political and security relationships before regional competition determines the terms. For much of its modern history, Berbera...

Sep 25, 2026, 5:35 PM

China’s Red Sea Spy Hub Is Closing In: Why Berbera Matters

The People’s Liberation Army support base at Doraleh, Djibouti, is no longer just a logistics stop. New high-frequency antenna arrays, satellite communications terminals, radomes, and local telecommunications infrastructure are turning it into a persistent intelligence and command hub. That...

Abdiqani A. Aden

Sep 25, 2026, 5:41 AM

From Grievance to Geopolitics: What Somaliland’s CFR Appearance Reveals About a Changed Diplomatic Strategy

President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro) addresses the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, September 24, 2026. (Photo: Office of the President, Republic of Somaliland)

At the Council on Foreign Relations, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi framed recognition as a strategic bargain, not a historical debt — but the gap between his reception in Washington and actual U.S. policy tells its own story. For thirty-five years,...

Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 24, 2026, 7:12 PM

The Boy Who Cried Al-Shabaab: How Mogadishu Replaced the Pandora Warning

Mogadishu’s warning has shifted from “Pandora’s box” to Al-Shabaab. A real threat. An untested veto. Original HOASR Infographics Artwork

Why Washington Needs a Separate Somaliland Policy Washington does not have to choose between abandoning the fight against Al-Shabaab and accepting Mogadishu's permanent veto over Somaliland. It can deepen a direct working relationship with Hargeisa, use Berbera for negotiated maritime...

Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 23, 2026, 6:56 PM

Berbera: The Missing Shore Of The Middle East Defense Shield

Berbera could provide the African-side surveillance and contingency depth missing from the emerging Middle East regional defence network. HOASR original Infographic Artwork

A regional air-defence network is taking shape against Iranian and Houthi missiles and drones. Its southern blind spot places Somaliland and Berbera directly inside the next geopolitical strategic debate. A regional air-defence system is emerging across the Middle East, built...

Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 22, 2026, 11:57 PM

Short of US Recognition: What Is Next for Somaliland?

An original HOASR Infographics illustration showing Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro at the centre of three Washington pathways: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch and Congress, and think tanks and policy institutes.

President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro did not secure formal United States recognition during his Washington visit. Judged only by that standard, the trip ended without its largest objective. A closer reading produces a different conclusion. Irro and his delegation...

Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 22, 2026, 1:30 AM

The Red Sea Map Has Changed. Western Strategy Has Not.

The Houthi breakthrough around Bab el-Mandeb is altering the strategic geography connecting Yemen, Djibouti and Berbera. Original HOASR infographic.

The Houthi breakthrough at Bab el-Mandeb should force Washington and its partners to reconsider an increasingly outdated Red Sea security architecture—and the strategic value of Berbera within it. The most important lesson from the Houthi advance toward Bab el-Mandeb is...

Sep 21, 2026, 7:53 PM

When Statehood Is Not Enough: Somaliland’s Battle for Recognition

Mohamed Osman’s The Unrecognized Republic asks a difficult question: what happens when a territory behaves like a state, governs like a state, and endures like a state—but the world refuses to call it one? Somaliland declared the restoration of its...

Nassir Hussein Kahin

Sep 19, 2026, 5:53 PM

Berbera: From Ancient Port to A Geopolitical Hot Spot

Berbera’s ancient commercial heritage meets its modern port, long runway airfield and strategic role on the Gulf of Aden. Original poster: HOASR Infographics.

Commerce, culture, empire, cold war era and the long making of Somaliland’s most geopolitical strategic city Berbera was a port city long before it became a runway, a naval pier or a point on a satellite image. Its importance began...

Sep 19, 2026, 5:04 PM

From Clan to Citizenship: Somaliland’s Next National Compact

Somaliland’s hybrid political system once offered exactly what the country needed. By combining customary clan consensus, xeer, and elder leadership with constitutional democracy, it helped communities disarm, reconcile, and rebuild after 1991. That achievement deserves respect. Yet the institutions...

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