Download or read book The Political Future of Somalia written by Abdi Awaleh Jama and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2009-07-02 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No-one can attempt to predict the political future of a country except through the examination of its recent past and current situation. Somalia stands as a nation divided by former colonial powers and a country born on July 1, 1960, as an orphan state within a hostile environment and without recognized boundaries with its neighbors. It is this predicament that symbolizes Somalia and its multifaceted problems. Today, deeply entrenched tribalism stands as a major impediment to the rebuilding of the country, supported by rampant external interference in Somalia’s internal affairs and facilitated by warlords, clan leaders and so-called “intellectuals” who utilize tribalism for self-serving, opportunistic ends. In summary, this is the real tragedy of Somalia. However, hope survives in the two peaceful regions of Northern Somalia. The way forward is the eventual reunification of all Somali factions and the emergence of a nationalist leader capable of taking on this daunting task. The dream of rebuilding a country and a nation does not happen over night, but is the achievement of subsequent generations and requires collective endeavors. Accordingly, four major issues significant to the rebuilding of the Somali state are discussed. These are: The role of clans in Somalia’s future politics; The competing and conflicting interpretations of different Islamic schools and their impact on Somalia; The role of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG); and The challenges confronting the TFG, the African Union (AU) and the international community in developing Somalia’s security and national economy.
Download or read book The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture written by Heather M. Akou and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-20 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The universal act of dressing—shared by both men and women, young and old, rich and poor, minority and majority—has shaped human interactions, communicated hopes and fears about the future, and embodied what it means to be Somali. Heather Marie Akou mines politics and history in this rich and compelling study of Somali material culture. Akou explores the evolution of Somali folk dress, the role of the Somali government in imposing styles of dress, competing forms of Islamic dress, and changes in Somali fashion in the U.S. With the collapse of the Somali state, Somalis continue a connection with their homeland and community through what they wear every day.
Download or read book War and Peace in Somalia written by Michael Keating and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-01 with total page 622 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the last thirty years Somalia has experienced violence and upheaval. Today, the international effort to help Somalis build a federal state and achieve stability is challenged by deep-rooted grievances, local conflicts and a powerful insurgency led by Al-Shabaab. Consisting of forty-four chapters by conflict resolution specialists and the world's leading experts on Somalia, this volume constitutes a unique compendium of insights into the insurgency and its impact. War and Peace in Somalia explores the legacies of past violence, especially impunity, illegitimacy and exclusion, and the need for national reconciliation. Drawing on decades of experience and months of field research, the contributors throw light on diverse forms of local conflict, its interrelated causes, and what can be done about it. They share original research on the role of women, men and youth in the conflict, and present new insight into Al-Shabaab--particularly the group's multi-dimensional strategy, the motivations of its fighters, their foreign links, and the prospects for engagement. This ground-breaking volume illuminates the war in Somalia, and sets out what can and should be done to bring it to an end. For policymakers and researchers covering Somalia, East Africa, extremism or conflict resolution, this is a must-read.
Download or read book Somalia and Operation Restore Hope written by John L. Hirsch and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Somalia" has become a symbol for the unacceptable costs of humanitarian intervention, for the type of foreign involvement that should be avoided. But the authors of this timely book, themselves key participants in the U.S.-led operation there, argue that substantial good was done--the tide of famine was stayed, hundreds of thousands of lives saved, and steps toward political reconciliation begun. Despite the recent renewal of political violence, the humanitarian situation remains stable. In launching Operation Restore Hope, the multinational coalition faced a complex, tense, and rapidly unfolding situation. The authors detail how the carefully limited mission achieved its goals, including mutual understanding with the Somalis, by combining political, military, and humanitarian actions. But the authors also describe how different U.S. and UN concepts of the mission and subsequent changes in the mission's scope led almost inevitably to confrontation. Hirsch and Oakley raise fundamental questions about how to conduct such operations, and in particular about the limitations of peacekeepers in nation building. Drawing lessons from Vietnam and Lebanon as well as more recent operations, the authors provide an analysis that will help policymakers and scholars as they debate the future of peacekeeping.
Download or read book Somalia The Untold Story written by Judith Gardner and published by CIIR. This book was released on 2004 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the experiences of women in Somalia and how they have survived the trauma of war.
Download or read book Somalia a Country Study written by Harold D. Nelson and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General study on Somalia - covers history, revolutionary social change, physical geography, demographic aspects, social structure, Islamic religious practice, education, refugees, economy, agriculture, trade, government, legal system, politics, international relations, defence, etc. Bibliography, glossary, maps, photographs, statistical tables.
Download or read book My Clan Against the World U S and Coalition Forces in Somalia 1992 1994 written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the American military's experience with urban operations in Somalia, particularly in the capital city of Mogadishu. That original focus can be found in the following pages, but the authors address other, broader issues as well, to include planning for a multinational intervention; workable and unworkable command and control arrangements; the advantages and problems inherent in coalition operations; the need for cultural awareness in a clan-based society whose status as a nation-state is problematic; the continuous adjustments required by a dynamic, often unpredictable situation; the political dimension of military activities at the operational and tactical levels; and the ability to match military power and capabilities to the mission at hand.
Download or read book The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa written by Alex de Waal and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-10-19 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa delves into the business of politics in the turbulent, war-torn countries of north-east Africa. It is a contemporary history of how politicians, generals and insurgents bargain over money and power, and use of war to achieve their goals. Drawing on a thirty-year career in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, including experience as a participant in high-level peace talks, Alex de Waal provides a unique and compelling account of how these countries’ leaders run their governments, conduct their business, fight their wars and, occasionally, make peace. De Waal shows how leaders operate on a business model, securing funds for their ‘political budgets’ which they use to rent the provisional allegiances of army officers, militia commanders, tribal chiefs and party officials at the going rate. This political marketplace is eroding the institutions of government and reversing statebuildingÑand it is fuelled in large part by oil exports, aid funds and western military assistance for counter-terrorism and peacekeeping. The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa is a sharp and disturbing book with profound implications for international relations, development and peacemaking in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
Download or read book The United States Army in Somalia 1992 1994 written by Richard Winship Stewart and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Roots of Somali Political Culture written by Mary-Jane Fox and published by First Forum Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ¿Excellent.... a book that sheds new light on the political culture of Somaliland, Puntland, and Somalia.¿ ¿Christopher L. Daniels, Florida A&M University The fragmentation of the former Somali Democratic Republic into three distinctive entities, together with the events that have ensued since then, make for a complex political puzzle that raises a plethora of questions. M. J. Fox explores some of the most fundamental of those questions: Have the ¿three Somalias¿ of today always been as disparate as they are now? How deeply rooted are those differences? Why has southern Somalia remained steeped in violence while Somaliland and Puntland are relatively peaceful and stable? And does political culture have any role to play in contemporary Somali politics? As she traces the compelling influences of political culture over time, Fox provides a unique comparative analysis of Somaliland, Puntland, and Somalia in the twenty-first century. M. J. Fox is an independent scholar, formerly with the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University.
Download or read book We Do Not Have Borders written by Keren Weitzberg and published by Ohio University Press. This book was released on 2017-07-25 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though often associated with foreigners and refugees, many Somalis have lived in Kenya for generations, in many cases since long before the founding of the country. Despite their long residency, foreign and state officials and Kenyan citizens often perceive the Somali population to be a dangerous and alien presence in the country, and charges of civil and human rights abuses have mounted against them in recent years. In We Do Not Have Borders, Keren Weitzberg examines the historical factors that led to this state of affairs. In the process, she challenges many of the most fundamental analytical categories, such as “tribe,” “race,” and “nation,” that have traditionally shaped African historiography. Her interest in the ways in which Somali representations of the past and the present inform one another places her research at the intersection of the disciplines of history, political science, and anthropology. Given tragic events in Kenya and the controversy surrounding al-Shabaab, We Do Not Have Borders has enormous historical and contemporary significance, and provides unique inroads into debates over globalization, African sovereignty, the resurgence of religion, and the multiple meanings of being African.
Download or read book Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Somalia written by Seth G. Jones and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report analyzes the U.S. and allied campaign against the al Qa’ida–linked terrorist group al Shabaab in Somalia, examines what steps have been most successful against the group, and identifies potential recommendations. It concludes that, while al Shaba'ab was weakened between 2011 and 2016, the group could resurge if urgent steps are not taken to address the political, economic, and governance challenges at the heart of the conflict.
Download or read book What is Politics written by Adrian Leftwich and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-05-18 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is politics? Is it a universal feature of all human societies, past and present? Is it tied to specific institutional arenas? Or is it found in all groups and organizations, large or small, formal or informal? This new textbook seeks to provide answers to these important questions. Starting with what it means to ‘think politically’, the book goes on to explore a wide range of meanings attributed to the concept of politics from a variety of perspectives and theoretical traditions. It offers succinct and coherent overviews by some of the foremost scholars in the field, and each invites the reader to see the activity of politics in a distinctive way. Topics covered include politics as a form of rule, feminist approaches to politics, Marxism and politics, the politics of human behaviour, environmental politics, politics as collective choice, and Islam and politics. Written with the new student in mind, this concise introduction to the study and activity of politics is essential reading for all those coming to the discipline for the first time.
Download or read book Somalia written by Bronwyn E. Bruton and published by Council on Foreign Relations Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Even among failed states-- those countries unable to exercise authority over their territory and provide the most basic services to their people-- Somalia stands apart. A country of some nine million, it has lacked a central government since the fall of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in 1991. Poverty and insecurity are endemic. Less than 40 percent of Somalis are literate, more than one in ten children dies before turning five, and a person born in Somalia today cannot assume with any confidence that he or she will reach the age of fifty. Failed states provide fertile ground for terrorism, drug trafficking, and a host of other ills that threaten to spill beyond their borders. Somalia is thus a problem not just for Somalis but for the United States and the world. In particular, the specter of Somalia's providing a sanctuary for al-Qaeda has become an important concern, and piracy off Somalia's coast, which affects vital international shipping lanes, remains a menace. In this report, Bronwyn E. Bruton proposes a strategy to combat terrorism and promote development and stability in Somalia. She first outlines the recent political history involving the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) formed in 2004 and its Islamist opponents, chiefly the Shabaab, which has declared allegiance to al-Qaeda. She then analyzes U.S. interests in the country, including counterterrorism, piracy, and humanitarian concerns, as well as the prospect of broader regional instability."--P. vii
Download or read book Humanitarianism Under Fire written by Ken Rutherford and published by Kumarian Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The international humanitarian intervention in Somalia was one of the most challenging operations ever conducted by US and UN military forces. Until Somalia, the UN had never run a Chapter VII exercise with large numbers of troops operating under a fighting mandate. It became a deadly test of the UN’s ability carry out a peace operation using force against an adversary determined to sabotage the intervention. Humanitarianism Under Fire is a candid, detailed historical and political narrative of this remarkably complicated intervention that was one of the first cases of multilateral action in the post-Cold War era. Rutherford presents new information gleaned from interviews and intensive research in five countries. His evidence shows how Somalia became a turning point in the relationship between the UN and US and how policy and strategy decisions in military operations continue to refer back to this singular event, even today.
Download or read book Safirka written by Peter Bridges and published by Kent State University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter S. Bridges's service as an American ambassador to Somalia capped his three decades as a career officer in the American Foreign Service. Safirka, a frank description of his experiences in Somalia and elsewhere, offers pointed assessments of American foreign policy and policymakers. Bridges recounts his service in Panama during a time of turmoil over the Canal; in Moscow during the Cuban missile crisis; in Prague for bleak years after the Soviet invasion; in Rome when Italian terrorists first began to target Americans; and in key positions in three Washington agencies. In Somalia Bridges managed the largest American aid program in sub-Sahara Africa. He dealt with a postcolonial regime, hobbled both by traditional clan rivalries and by a leader who cared far less about Somalia's people and progress than about maintaining his control over that poverty-stricken, strategic - which soon erupted in civil war.
Download or read book Al Shabaab in Somalia written by Stig Jarle Hansen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-15 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since early 2007 a new breed of combatants has appeared on the streets of Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia: the 'Shabaab', or youth, the only self-proclaimed branch of al-Qaeda to have gained acceptance (and praise) from Ayman al-Zawahiri and 'AQ centre' in Afghanistan. Itself an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, which split in 2006, Shabaab has imposed Sharia law and is also heavily influenced by local clan structures within Somalia itself. It remains an infamous and widely discussed, yet little-researched and understood, Islamist group. Hansen's remarkable book attempts to go beyond the media headlines and simplistic analyses based on alarmist or localist narratives and, by employing intensive field research conducted within Somalia, as well as on the ground interviews with Shabaab leaders themselves, explores the history of a remarkable organisation, one that has survived predictions of its collapse on several occasions. Hansen portrays al-Shabaab as a hybrid Islamist organization that combines a strong streak of Somali nationalism with the rhetorical obligations of international jihadism, thereby attracting a not insignificant number of foreign fighters to its ranks. Both these strands of Shabaab have been inadvertently boosted by Ethiopian, American and African Union attempts to defeat it militarily, all of which have come to nought.
