Failed States and Civil Wars: Somalia
The history of Somalia is a bloody one, filled with failed occupation, anarchy and civil war. Early Somalia established itself as a merchant state. Its key geographical location by the natural strait between the Horn of Africa and Yemen made it a focal point for trade.This essay will explore the history of internal struggles of the Somalilands and its many wars. It will investigate the colonial influences and conflicts between Somalia and its imperial occupiers and how these influences set the stage for future conflicts between the clans. Also, it will attempt to define the reasons why Somalia has become a failed state. The importance of United States foreign policies will be discussed as they have yet to build a reliable government and what, if anything, can be done to resolve the problems that have plagued Somalia for centuries. Lastly, the growing problem of piracy and terrorism in the region will be covered.
Somalia: A History of Turmoil
In order to understand current Somali conflict, one must explore its violent history. Prior to nineteenth century European infiltration, the continent of Africa comprised informal, state-less societies. Many of these groups were ruled by heads of tribes or clan-families, which offered the only semblance of government. Those regions that were not under any type of rule, defaulted to anarchical communal groups of hunter gatherers. Tribal conflicts and territorial disputes were typically resolved by shows of force. This collection of informal systems lasted until trade brought the other continents on to Africa. Trade along coastal Africa brought with it contact with other cultures. Persian, Arab and European merchants capitalized on the bountiful slave...
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• Coyne, Christopher J."Reconstructing Weak and Failed States: Foreign Intervention and the Nirvana Fallacy." Foreign Policy Analysis 2.4 (2006): 343-60. CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. CSA. 10 Mar. 2010
• Metz, Helen Chapin et al.“ Somalia : A Country Study “4th ed. Federal Research Divsion, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540
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At first glance, one would not expect to find any similarities between the countries of Somalia and the United States. Even though the differences outweigh similarities, after deeper examination, Somalia and the United States do share a few similarities. These similarities include British rule, Civil War, and acts of domestic terror. A few differences may be government, climate, and military.
The purpose of this document is to discuss the horrible acts one may recognize as the genocide in Somalia. One may deliberate regularly on the reasons or circumstances that lead to the mistreatment and killings of a whole country; how could this happen? Why are no other countries willing to step in and give aid to the Somali people whom are suffering on a daily basis? In reality, many concerns have been addressed, whether by discussions or actions. There may be different philosophies or viewpoints as to why the genocide was conducted and not stopped. Genocide is a cruel and inhumane event and is a world problem.
Somalia vs United States Somalia, which is about the size of Texas, is a small country located in Eastern Africa, next to the Indian Ocean. The United States, which is located in the Western Hemisphere, is bordered by Mexico and Canada and is between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Separated not only by the Atlantic Ocean, Somalia and the United States are also separated by the differences in economies and populations. These two countries that are quite opposite in size have some similarities in their governments and education systems. Somalia is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries (Campbell).
Menkhaus, K. (2011, November 5). A thousand fatwas for Somalia's al-Shabaab - The Globe and
The root causes of the war could be traced back in history to the imperialist policy of great powers of Europe, an international phenomenon during the 19th century. Eritrea as a new independent entity was created by Italian colonization. Italian colonization did not only create a new independent state of Eritrea but also a separate Eritrean identity. As a result of the socio-economic improvements created by the Italian colonial legacy, Eritreans developed a distinct Eritrean identity and a sense being “civilized” and regarded Ethiopians as “backward”. (Tekeste: 2000, p.54-157). In one interview, Eritrean President Issayas once said, “We have lived with Europeans; we have seen much of the civilized world. There are many things we have learned from them. The Ethiopians, on the contrary, have just come out of the forest. They are not civilized. They feel inferior because they have come out of the bush” (Solomon: 1998, p.15).
"SOMALIA CONFERENCE - Facts, Figures and Major Problems of Somalia." Facts, Figures and Major Problems of Somalia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.
A. Adu Boahen's African Perspectives on Colonialism neatly classifies African responses to European colonialism during both phases of invasion and occupation during the 19th century with precise labels according to their nature or time period. However, the reactions can also be loosely grouped into two diametric characterizations: peaceful and violent. Although creating this dichotomy seems a gross generalization and oversimplification of the colonial African experience, it more importantly allows for a different perspective- one that exposes the overwhelming success of the typically peaceful or pacifist reaction in contrast to the little gain and large losses of the violent response.
It’s no surprise that many people in Somalia were not okay with this system of colonial rule. In 1899, a group called The Dervish...
Lewis, Bernard. “The Consequences of Defeat.” Foreign Affairs 46.2 (1968):321. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2014
Governmental stability is a key component of evidence that imperialism was detrimental to Somalia. Before imperialism, Somalia operated as an Arab sultanate. Society was divided into clans, each ruled by a sultan. The government was not unified under one body but it was functional and there has been no history of dissatisfaction prior to imperialism. In 1886, Britain made a treaty with the Sultan of Tajura and captured northern Somalia while Italy gained control of the southern portion by making a treaty with the Sultan of Hobyo (“Background Note” 1). Both British and Italian Somaliland, the resulting colonies, were protectorates (“Italian Somaliland” 2). The protect...
nited Nations Operations in Somalia 1992-1995: A study of the failures of Western peacekeeping efforts
If the aid does not reach the people in time, suffering will increase and the death toll will mount. If Al-Shabaab continues to exploit the relief agencies, projects and future humanitarian relief efforts will be hindered or stopped all together. An option the United States may consider is set up liaison operations with the Somalia government and the Al-Shabaab leadership. This action can produce valuable intelligence as well as assist humanitarian agencie...
To understand events leading up to the battle of Mogadishu, you must first understand what sparked Somalia into clan rebellion, fighting, famine, and utter chaos.1 In 1919, a man by the name of Mohamed Said Barre was born into an Italian Somaliland clan known as Daarood. By 1941, at the age of twenty-two Barre had joined the Somali police force and rose to the position of Chief inspector. In 1950 Barre left to the military academy in Italy, and later returned in 1960 only to transfer into the Somali national Army. In 1966, Barre held the rank of Major General in the Somalian national army. In 1969 Barre would stage a military coup and seize control of the Somalian government. He then imposed a dictatorship which would outlaw clan loyalties.2 He did t...
Poole, Walter S., The Effort to Save Somalia August 1992 – March 1994 p.20 (2005 August) General format. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/history/somalia.pdf
Weber, Smith, Allan, Collins, Morgan and Entshami.2002. Foreign Policy in a transformed world. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.