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Papers by Blake Barkley

Research paper thumbnail of Revisiting the Politics of Asylum in Africa: Explaining Kenya's Sub-National Policy Variation

Research paper thumbnail of North Maragoli Kiritu Kitchen Site. Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl & Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp

Nordic journal of migration research, 2020

The authors aim to highlight the various strategies that can and have been employed by civil soci... more The authors aim to highlight the various strategies that can and have been employed by civil society organizations (CSOs) in order to create spaces for contestation and counterhegemonic movements within contemporary international migration negotiations. Specifically, the authors focus on the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (UNHLD), the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the World Social Forum on Migration (WSFM), and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Key to the examination presented are the concepts of 'invited' versus 'invented' spaces. Invited spaces 'refer to civil society groups in their position as participants within intergovernmental and international for a for deliberation on migration management' (p. 156), whereas invented spaces 'refer to independent civil society platforms for the development of strategies and action aimed at inclusive social, labour, citizenship and human rights of migrants' (p. 156). Employing this conceptual framework to organize the strategies and options available to CSOs within different contexts is crucial to understanding their roles and actions in developing, advocating for, and reacting to changes in the structure of the international migration regime. This is particularly poignant in relation to the ongoing and increasingly contentious dialogue surrounding the governance of global migration since the adoption of the GCM as well as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). While each of the chapters in some way addresses asymmetry between the global North and South, Raúl Delgado Wise (Chapter 2) and Branka Likić-Brborić (Chapter 3), in their respective analyses, address key elements of how international migration has been embedded within broader narratives. These narratives often prioritize 'migration management' over a 'human rights comprehensive approach' (p. 17), and streamline migration governance into a form that is increasingly palatable to business and the securitized agendas of states (p. 32). CSOs have played a central role

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure's relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of Second Prize: The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Jul 14, 2015

This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of t... more This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabaab. Therefore, specific attention will be given to the question: How has Al-Shabaab used the internal social environment present after the collapse of Somalia to their advantage in order to accumulate and project power within Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa? Particular emphasis is placed upon the perception that, as a failed state, Somalia has the potential to serve as a launching point for indigenous terrorist activity within neighbouring states. Al-Shabaab has been known to do exactly that. They have explicitly orchestrated attacks in countries such as Uganda and Kenya in protest of their respective military interventions in Somalia. This issue warrants further exploration, as the majority of the literature discussing the 1 I would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, The Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, as well as the Government of Alberta for providing the financial resources necessary to conduct this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Gavin Cameron, Dr. Rob Huebert, Danny Garrett-Rempel, and David Torre for reading earlier drafts of this paper and providing invaluable insight.

Research paper thumbnail of Revisiting the Politics of Asylum in Africa: Explaining Kenya's Sub-National Policy Variation

Research paper thumbnail of North Maragoli Kiritu Kitchen Site. Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of Second Prize: The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 2015

This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between t... more This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between terrorist group and insurgency. It argues that Al-Shabaab has been able to make use of non-state institutions, such as Somalia’s clan structure as well as the physical infrastructure provided by international aid agencies to maintain organizational capabilities within the context of a failed state. This research seeks to uncover the role of sociocultural and informal institutions that exist outside the formal structure of the state. Maintaining the ability to adapt to fluctuating political conditions has allowed Al-Shabaab to simultaneously engage in terrorist activity abroad while maintaining an insurgency campaign in Somalia. The insurgency movement is aimed at undermining the African Union forces operating in Somalia, while simultaneously delegitimizing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), as they are unable to independently ensure Somalia’s national security. This case provides in...

Research paper thumbnail of The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them 1

This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of t... more This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabaab. Therefore, specific attention will be given to the question: How has Al-Shabaab used the internal social environment present after the collapse of Somalia to their advantage in order to accumulate and project power within Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa? Particular emphasis is placed upon the perception that, as a failed state, Somalia has the potential to serve as a launching point for indigenous terrorist activity within neighbouring states. Al-Shabaab has been known to do exactly that. They have explicitly orchestrated attacks in countries such as Uganda and Kenya in protest of their respective military interventions in Somalia. This issue warrants further exploration, as the majority of the literature discussing the

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp

Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure's relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab’s position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab’s position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure’s relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies , Jul 2015

This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between t... more This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between terrorist group and insurgency. It argues that Al-Shabaab has been able to make use of non-state institutions, such as Somalia’s clan structure as well as the physical infrastructure provided by international aid agencies to maintain organizational capabilities within the context of a failed state. This research seeks to uncover the role of sociocultural and informal institutions that exist outside the formal structure of the state. Maintaining the ability to adapt to fluctuating political conditions has allowed Al-Shabaab to simultaneously engage in terrorist activity abroad while maintaining an insurgency campaign in Somalia. The insurgency movement is aimed at undermining the African Union forces operating in Somalia, while simultaneously delegitimizing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), as they are unable to independently ensure Somalia’s national security. This case provides insight into how external actors can react to both variants of violent movements under conditions of state failure. Understanding how these institutions are manipulated and appropriated by groups like Al-Shabaab can inform the way the international community interacts with failing states and their surviving vestiges of statehood.

Book Reviews by Blake Barkley

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl & Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp.

Nordic Journal of Migration Research , 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Revisiting the Politics of Asylum in Africa: Explaining Kenya's Sub-National Policy Variation

Research paper thumbnail of North Maragoli Kiritu Kitchen Site. Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl & Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp

Nordic journal of migration research, 2020

The authors aim to highlight the various strategies that can and have been employed by civil soci... more The authors aim to highlight the various strategies that can and have been employed by civil society organizations (CSOs) in order to create spaces for contestation and counterhegemonic movements within contemporary international migration negotiations. Specifically, the authors focus on the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (UNHLD), the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the World Social Forum on Migration (WSFM), and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Key to the examination presented are the concepts of 'invited' versus 'invented' spaces. Invited spaces 'refer to civil society groups in their position as participants within intergovernmental and international for a for deliberation on migration management' (p. 156), whereas invented spaces 'refer to independent civil society platforms for the development of strategies and action aimed at inclusive social, labour, citizenship and human rights of migrants' (p. 156). Employing this conceptual framework to organize the strategies and options available to CSOs within different contexts is crucial to understanding their roles and actions in developing, advocating for, and reacting to changes in the structure of the international migration regime. This is particularly poignant in relation to the ongoing and increasingly contentious dialogue surrounding the governance of global migration since the adoption of the GCM as well as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). While each of the chapters in some way addresses asymmetry between the global North and South, Raúl Delgado Wise (Chapter 2) and Branka Likić-Brborić (Chapter 3), in their respective analyses, address key elements of how international migration has been embedded within broader narratives. These narratives often prioritize 'migration management' over a 'human rights comprehensive approach' (p. 17), and streamline migration governance into a form that is increasingly palatable to business and the securitized agendas of states (p. 32). CSOs have played a central role

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure's relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of Second Prize: The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Jul 14, 2015

This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of t... more This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabaab. Therefore, specific attention will be given to the question: How has Al-Shabaab used the internal social environment present after the collapse of Somalia to their advantage in order to accumulate and project power within Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa? Particular emphasis is placed upon the perception that, as a failed state, Somalia has the potential to serve as a launching point for indigenous terrorist activity within neighbouring states. Al-Shabaab has been known to do exactly that. They have explicitly orchestrated attacks in countries such as Uganda and Kenya in protest of their respective military interventions in Somalia. This issue warrants further exploration, as the majority of the literature discussing the 1 I would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, The Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, as well as the Government of Alberta for providing the financial resources necessary to conduct this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Gavin Cameron, Dr. Rob Huebert, Danny Garrett-Rempel, and David Torre for reading earlier drafts of this paper and providing invaluable insight.

Research paper thumbnail of Revisiting the Politics of Asylum in Africa: Explaining Kenya's Sub-National Policy Variation

Research paper thumbnail of North Maragoli Kiritu Kitchen Site. Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of Second Prize: The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 2015

This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between t... more This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between terrorist group and insurgency. It argues that Al-Shabaab has been able to make use of non-state institutions, such as Somalia’s clan structure as well as the physical infrastructure provided by international aid agencies to maintain organizational capabilities within the context of a failed state. This research seeks to uncover the role of sociocultural and informal institutions that exist outside the formal structure of the state. Maintaining the ability to adapt to fluctuating political conditions has allowed Al-Shabaab to simultaneously engage in terrorist activity abroad while maintaining an insurgency campaign in Somalia. The insurgency movement is aimed at undermining the African Union forces operating in Somalia, while simultaneously delegitimizing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), as they are unable to independently ensure Somalia’s national security. This case provides in...

Research paper thumbnail of The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them 1

This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of t... more This article examines the persistence of insecurities within Somalia through the development of terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabaab. Therefore, specific attention will be given to the question: How has Al-Shabaab used the internal social environment present after the collapse of Somalia to their advantage in order to accumulate and project power within Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa? Particular emphasis is placed upon the perception that, as a failed state, Somalia has the potential to serve as a launching point for indigenous terrorist activity within neighbouring states. Al-Shabaab has been known to do exactly that. They have explicitly orchestrated attacks in countries such as Uganda and Kenya in protest of their respective military interventions in Somalia. This issue warrants further exploration, as the majority of the literature discussing the

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp

Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab's position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure's relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of Manipulating State Failure: Al-Shabaab's Consolidation of Power in Somalia

This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab’s position of power across large swaths of... more This thesis addresses the question: How has Al-Shabaab’s position of power across large swaths of Somalia challenged assumptions about the organizational capacities of terrorist organizations within the context of state failure? At its core, this question is composed of four parts: an assessment of the power maintained by Al-Shabaab; an evaluation of the assumptions made about the operational abilities of such groups; an understanding how organizational capacity can be measured; and an assessment of state failure’s relationship to informal institutions and non-state actors. This research noted a significant shift in the capabilities of non-state actors attempting to consolidate power in Somalia as social and political contexts evolved over time. Such dramatic shifts exposed the specific circumstances necessary for the development of conditions that allowed for organizations, such as Al-Shabaab, to accumulate domestic power and authority, while extending their reach regionally.

Research paper thumbnail of The Last Vestiges of Statehood: Failed States and the Groups that Work Within Them

Journal of Military and Strategic Studies , Jul 2015

This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between t... more This paper explores how the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab straddles the line between terrorist group and insurgency. It argues that Al-Shabaab has been able to make use of non-state institutions, such as Somalia’s clan structure as well as the physical infrastructure provided by international aid agencies to maintain organizational capabilities within the context of a failed state. This research seeks to uncover the role of sociocultural and informal institutions that exist outside the formal structure of the state. Maintaining the ability to adapt to fluctuating political conditions has allowed Al-Shabaab to simultaneously engage in terrorist activity abroad while maintaining an insurgency campaign in Somalia. The insurgency movement is aimed at undermining the African Union forces operating in Somalia, while simultaneously delegitimizing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), as they are unable to independently ensure Somalia’s national security. This case provides insight into how external actors can react to both variants of violent movements under conditions of state failure. Understanding how these institutions are manipulated and appropriated by groups like Al-Shabaab can inform the way the international community interacts with failing states and their surviving vestiges of statehood.

Research paper thumbnail of Schierup, Carl-Ulrik, Likić-Brborić, Branka, Delgado Wise, Raúl & Toksöz, Gülay (eds.) (2019) Migration, Civil Society and Global Governance, New York: Routledge. 172 pp.

Nordic Journal of Migration Research , 2020