Irro's Washington Charm Offensive Couldn't Paper Over Somaliland's Empty Hands - OpEd

An Op-Ed analyzes Somaliland President Irro’s Sept. 6-19 Washington trip as an attempt to convert U.S. sympathy into formal recognition after 35 years of pursuit. The piece describes Irro traveling via the UAE, arriving at Washington Dulles on Sept. 6, and staying through at least Sept. 19. It says Hargeisa is paying a Dallas lobbying firm, Nestpoint, $90,000 a year, and that Irro delivered a Sept. 14 keynote at the Hudson Institute. The author reports that critics viewed the campaign as lacking consistency in its case, and notes press accounts that Politico saw “no policy change” while Trump said the U.S. was “looking into it.”