Crying Wolf? The Impact of Terrorism and Global Security Issues on Kenya’s Foreign Relations and Diplomacy.

Abstract

This paper analyses the economic, social and political causes and consequences of Terrorism and Global security issues on Kenya's foreign relations and diplomacy. It focuses mainly on selected issues regarding global conflicts since the end of the cold war (1989). These include and not limited to the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, the Gulf war I (1991) and Il (2004). This paper argues that central in the causes of terrorist activities were unjust interstate economic relations and cultural clashes between Christians and Muslims. Kenya and East Africa in general is a fertile potential for terrorist activities because of the porous interstate boundaries and unguarded Indian sea coast, failed Somali state in the north, intra-state conflicts in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda., Congo, Burundi and Rwanda and high level of corruption amongst the region's civil servants. Ultimately, the US and western European clarion call for regime change and preventive terror raids policy world over without proper universal framework which have resulted to sharp ethnic conflicts, clash of cultures and civilizations. Furthermore, huge American and western European economic investments and strategic importance of the region for the west have aggravated the situation because these investments are targeted by terrorists. Finally, the paper argues that terrorist's activities in East Africa impact negatively on Kenya's prestige as a tourist, diplomatic, economic and strategic centre in East Africa.