Perceptions on the Role of the United States of America in the Security of the Greater Horn of Africa

Conflicts and insecurity have continued to plague the Greater Horn of Africa despite interventions by the United States of America (USA) and numerous security collaborations with other international partners. Understanding perceptions on interventions of the main security player - the USA, especially why it is intervening, how and the impact of its interventions, provides insights on its role in the security of the Greater Horn of Africa. Mixed method research was utilized to underscore the security interventions by the United States of America in the Greater Horn of Africa, focusing on its official policies, strategies, motives, and impact of these interventions on security in the region. This study was conducted among security experts, staff working with organizations involved in security matters in the Greater Horn of Africa, professors, and individual consultants. Some of the organizations involved were; the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Armistice Security, National Defense University, Kenya's Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, United States Embassy officers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), media outlets, Institutions of Higher learning, the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other organizations in the region dealing with the issue of security. The findings of this research pointed to a lack of active involvement of the African states in deciding the kind of interventions needed. The interventions are being driven by the USA rather than the African states in the region. Ultimately, the research indicated that the USA's main agenda is not to build African countries but instead to create law and order to enhance the region's economic exploitation. Based on the findings of this study, the USA should treat the African states in the region as equal partners in deciding on security interventions in the Greater Horn of Africa.