Why location, security, and diplomacy are pushing Washington and Hargeisa closer.

The proverb “a friend in need is a friend indeed” offers a useful way to view relations between the United States and Somaliland. Washington needs reliable access near a vital maritime corridor. Somaliland needs investment, security cooperation, and a way out of diplomatic isolation. Their interests are not identical, but they increasingly overlap.

A Strategic Coastline

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are under growing pressure from attacks on commercial shipping, piracy, regional rivalries, and competition among global powers. At the centre is the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a narrow passage connecting Europe and Asia and carrying a major share of global trade.

Somaliland lies across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen and controls a long coastline on this corridor. Its position gives it strategic importance far beyond its size—and gives Washington reason to cultivate a stable partner near one of the world’s most consequential chokepoints.

What Washington Could Gain

The United States relies heavily on Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti for regional military and counter-terrorism operations. But Djibouti hosts several foreign bases, including........

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