The trajectory of Conflict and state failure in Somalia (original) (raw)
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State Failure in Somalia Causes of Instability and Insecurity
Due to the absence of an effective central government and the high intensity of violence and corruption, Somalia tops the list of failed states. For several years in a row, Transparency International and Foreign Policy consider Somalia to be the most corrupt and failed state in the world. 1 In fact, it is The Economist's prediction, published in The World in 2010, that Somalia will be the worst country on earth this year. 2 Indeed, in its present state, it is not difficult to foresee a grim future for this nation.
Factors Influencing the Political Stability in Somalia
2016
Over two decades, Somalia has been intense fighting, population displacement, food insecurity, humanitarian crisis and generalized lack of centralized governance structures. Somalia has been lacking a functioning state since the overthrow of the military government. However, personal interests, power and economic ambitions of warlords caused the rebel factions to fail in the formation of inclusive government to settle the country from what was perceived by them as social, economic and political injustices committed by the military regime. Somalia civil war went through different phases and caused the death of hundreds of thousands of Somalis in different ways, while many others left the country to get peace and life in other countries. Throughout the lawlessness of the country, warlords and clan militias fought for the control of power and resources. That situation affects peaceful, co-existence and the attainment of sustainable development goals of the people and country at large. ...
Conflict In Somalia: Drivers And Dynamics
2005
Somalia's history of conflict reveals an intriguing paradox--namely, many of the factors that drive armed conflict have also played a role in managing, ending, or preventing war. For instance, clannism and clan cleavages are a source of conflict--used to divide Somalis, fuel endemic clashes over resources and power, used to mobilize militia, and make broad-based reconciliation very difficult to achieve. Most of Somalia's armed clashes since 1991 have been fought in the name of clan, often as a result of political leaders manipulating clannism for their own purposes. Yet traditional clan elders are a primary source of conflict mediation, clan-based customary law serves as the basis for negotiated settlements, and clan-based blood-payment groups serve as a deterrent to armed violence. Likewise, the central state is conventionally viewed as a potential source of rule of law and peaceful allocation of resources, but, at times in Somalia's past, it was a source of violence an...
Third World Quarterly, 1999
Somalia and Somaliland are both inhabited basically by SomalisÐ w ith small Oromo minorities in both, and a large Swahili minority in the latter. Both have multiple clans, sub-clans, lineage and blood groups and in both Islam is central to social values. Somalia had no history of a stable state before Italian rule but Somaliland did (Haud-Hargeisa-B erbera-A rabia trade axis centred). The United Republic of Somalia (rejected in the referendum by Somaliland) passed from political instability to two decades of Said Barre' s increasingly centralised and repressive dictatorship w hich waged war against the Northwest (Somaliland) and Northeast (Bosaso) as well as against Ethiopia. The dictatorship collapsed in 1991 basically because of the 1987± 91 Somaliland Liberation w ar. The economies of Somalia/Somaliland turn on pastoral production, commerce and remittances. These have recovered in part in Somalia and fully in Somaliland. However, only a fraction of the Barre regimes dissolution of service delivery and user friendly law and order capicity has been made good in Somaliland and virtually more in Somalia. USA/UN intervention did limit starvation andÐ for a timeÐ open violence. That was at a high cost in ® nances, in the reputation of peacekeeping and to Somalis. UNOSOM answered political and civil questions before having any real grasp of civil, political and economic realities. The price was to entrench warlords and militias and to marginalisè peacelords' (elders and merchants). Somaliland, never occupied by UNOSOM , has engaged in a series of large, long peace conferences of elders from all parts of its territory leading to a real if fragile national/territorial identity with personal security in most areas, an elected president and two house parliament, a user friendly police force and court system and the beginnings of a restored professional civil service.
Political Dynamics and State-Building in Somalia
International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science
This article examines the political dynamics and state-building efforts in Somalia, a nation in the Horn of Africa facing decades of political instability and conflict. The historical background, including colonialism and the collapse of the state in 1991, has significantly influenced Somalia's governance challenges. Clan-based politics, security threats from extremist groups like AlShabaab, weak institutions, corruption, and socioeconomic disparities are significant obstacles to state-building. International actors like the United Nations and the African Union have supported state-building initiatives. However, challenges persist in establishing a solid central government, inclusive governance, and effective institutions. The study explores opportunities such as growing civil society, diaspora engagement, and regional cooperation, which can aid statebuilding efforts. The article emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses political divisions, fosters reconci...
Research Gate, 2022
Little known is Somalia's glorious history, the first post-colonial country to enjoy a democratic transfer of power on the continent-1964 and 1967. The chaos of the last 30 years has endured the most retrogressive and violent civil war engineered by one of the most toxic political elite in the continent today. Issues of Inquiry focus on what are the trajectories that have brought Somalia to the Brink. How did it landed on an Electoral Impasse? Has Peace Keeping Stabilised Somalia. What are the roads for Peace? The hypothesis hinges on the fact that Somalis and the international community will learn from a quarter of a century of collapsed state to build Rules and Institutions of government that can undertake peaceful power contestation and resolution of conflicts including talking to insurgencies that have serious stake in peace. Somalia faces many challenges. Somalia is very susceptible to the effects of climate change and extreme weather. The al Shabaab insurgency and extended droughts, flash floods, etc. have become more frequent in the past 25 years, and the effects of longer-term climatic change-erratic rainfall, disrupted monsoon seasons, strong winds, storms and soil erosion-make fewer headlines but pose a serious threat to 83 per cent of the population reliant on agriculture, pastoralism, hunting, forestry and fishing. Moreover, uncertainty loomed large as Somalia prepared for its delayed and contentious elections that was thought to be a defining moment for the country's stability. Somalia has now selected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to become the country's next president. In lengthy and longoverdue indirect elections, Somalia's 328 MPs voted for the former president from 2012-2017 to return to the top job. President Mohamud, who was immediately sworn in, faces numerous tough challenges. These range from a devastating drought that risk pushing millions into famine, to deep political divisions within Somalia's federal government and with state authorities. Arguably, his biggest task, however, will be al-Shabaab. Dialogue for peace with all stakeholders will finally prove that Somalia's sheer un-governability is both its curse and its blessing. Keywords: Somalia, al Shabaab, climate change, conflict, hunger, displacement,
The ongoing discussion on the role of the State as a safeguard of security in modern system of International Relations offers contrasting views on the problem of state failure. This paper presents an examination of the current political situation in a failed state of Somalia. From 1990 to 2010 political-territorial developments in Somalia challenged the established approaches to state formation; today it is relevant to examine the developing local trends of state-building under conditions of negative configuration of security.
Somalia after state collapse: Chaos or improvement?
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2008
Many people believe that Somalia's economy has been in chaos since the collapse of its national government in 1991. We take a comparative institutional approach to examine Somalia's performance relative to other African countries both when Somalia had a government and during its extended period of anarchy. We find that although Somalia is poor, its relative economic performance has improved during its period of statelessness. We also describe how Somalia has provided basic law and order and a currency, which have enabled the country to achieve the coordination that has led to improvements in its standard of living.