President Trump ran for office to Make America Great Again. He wanted our borders respected, our language restored, and our culture reinvigorated. He is accomplishing all three at breakneck speed. Even his foreign policy efforts are serving the United States’ best interests. Peace in the Middle East, efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and weakening China’s globalism are big wins for America.

Speaking of borders, language, and culture, President Trump has another chance to make history: eliminate pirate forces, undermine Islamic fundamentalism, and establish his bona fides as a peacemaker, a dealmaker, and a nation-builder who doesn’t send young American men to die in pointless wars. This diplomatic move would cost nothing more than a simple declaration.

President Trump, it’s time to recognize Somaliland as a separate, sovereign country from Somalia.

Somaliland, as the name suggests, shares close ties with Somalia. The failed state, home to vile modern-day pirates who have waged war on tourists and shipping lanes alike, has stifled efforts for its northern neighbors to break away officially and obtain the rights reserved for all other nations in the world.

And yet, Somaliland, for all intents and purposes, is its own country.

First, some background.

Somaliland existed as a British protectorate until 1960, when it was granted freedom from the mother country. The French Somali region also won independence and became Djibouti. The Italians controlled the southern section of the Eastern Horn of Africa, which became a free Somalia following caretaker status under the United Nations. The former British and Italian dominions joined together in 1960, but Somaliland (in the northwestern section) got the short end of an already short stick under the dictatorship of Mohamed Siad Barre. Civil war broke out (and hasn’t ended!), and Somaliland broke away in 1991.

For over thirty years, Somaliland has existed de facto as a quasi-independent state. Somaliland has its own government, currency, and military. Unlike its failed-state neighbors, Somaliland has retained considerable order and stability. The country has enjoyed free and fair elections and peaceful transitions of power. They have forged strong relationships with the United States and the United Kingdom. They are growing their relationships with other African states, including Ethiopia.

They just don’t have official status … yet. President Trump needs to take the lead on this and recognize Somaliland as an official country.

This move has many benefits for the United States, somewhat mirroring the wins for the United States following the brokerage of peace agreements with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

1. President Trump would assert American influence and leadership in the region. Global power players insist on playing timid, despite the great power and authority granted to them by their voters or the power structures in their respective countries. Trump has not been afraid to think big, ask bigger, and get the biggest deal possible to benefit the United States. Stepping in and asserting the will and interests of a local population to form their own nation would bolster America’s resurgence on the world stage.
2. Supporting a stable region by offering it official recognition will help stem the migrant crisis overwhelming Europe and the United States. Instead of dismissing failed states or turning away large numbers of migrants, why not support breakaway regions capable of self-governance and offer them as alternative refugee destinations? President Trump is deporting illegal aliens to South Sudan. He could work out a deal with Somaliland to receive them, too.
3. Supporting the creation of an independent Somaliland would pressure the rest of the Horn of Africa to improve governance. If Somalia won’t take the hint to get its act together, the United States could reconsider its military presence in Somalia and shift focus to Somaliland.
4. Trump’s move would further destabilize Islamic militancy in the region.
5. As an added bonus, recognizing Somaliland would irritate Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Somalia) and her fellow progressive “anti-colonialist” adherents, who have pledged to stop further independence efforts from the breakaway region.

There are some concerns from national leaders and power brokers in Africa and throughout the rest of the world. If President Trump recognizes this separated region, how will the other separatist groups in Africa, Europe, and elsewhere respond? They will start clamoring for recognition, initiate military operations, and engage in more subversive tactics to undermine their home countries. Recognizing one stable region could encourage separatist movements, leading to greater instability.

These concerns can be navigated effectively by Trump and other nations. Somaliland has already established much of the key infrastructure needed for any country to stand on its own. Somaliland is an independent state, in stark contrast to the dysfunction and collapse of the Republic of Somalia. Many breakaway militias and separatist groups in other regions around the world do not have similar infrastructures in place. Aside from diligent partisans who hold meetings dreaming of their own separate country, the widespread separatist groups don’t have anything else in place.

Trump could allay those fears by telling other regions clamoring for independent recognition (regions such as Catalonia, Eastern Ukraine, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria): “When you can build yourself up to be an independent state like Somaliland (with currency, military, and stable elections) in all but official recognition, give us a call.” If Trump recognizes Somaliland officially this year, thirty-four years will have passed since the region broke away from Somalia as a whole. Trump could joke that other budding nations should take the same length of time.

If it costs us nothing, nation-building can work in our favor. This opportunity is too good to pass up, and President Biden refused to act on an opportunity that was simple and strategically sound. President Trump needs to step out and help establish the self-rule of this region.