There has been much written about the problems facing Somalia. Most sources point to three different areas of analysis. The most referenced source is the prevalence of clansmen-ship in Somalia. Second, many sources also describe how the lack of a central government has prevented the citizens from breaking out of their cycles of aggression. Lastly, sources also explain how interference from international actors have prevented development within the state.
Clans:
The first issue it list is the prevalence of clan allegiance over allegiance to the government. Many authors state that because there is no national government that can command the allegiance of its citizens, the people of Somalia have looked to clans as a form of government. The history
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The collapse of the central state led to fragmentation and an economy of plunder that brought leaders into conflict with other leaders, sometimes from the same clan, vying for control of the same local area and resources. It was this struggle for territorial control, political power, and economic control of a region that prompted lowering the level of clan identities so as to mobilize support from the subclans.” (World Bank, 2005)
The authors also explains that while the clan/government allegiance struggle may be a large force for destabilization and conflict, clans have the potential to be one path to peace for Somalia. “Clans are a potential source for reconciliation because of their ability to shape relations between warring groups. Instead of focusing on differences, the common bonds of language, religion, traditions, and interclan marriage, can be pointed out to unite Somalis.” (World Bank,
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They state that if a state is in good economic times and has strong control over its people, clans will simple weaken the institutions of said state. Clans who aren’t privileged enough to have access to government will also start to form long standing resentments for those clans that do. (Collins Kathleen. 2004) The process becomes unsustainable when the state is weak or has failed to establish economic prosperity. Under these circumstances, the pressure for clan leaders to provide for their clansmen are dramatically increased. This leads to a quick stripping of state and natural resources by politically high ranking clan members in an effort to secure said resources for their clans. (Collins Kathleen. 2004) These clans then use their newly received resources to solidify the power of themselves and fortify the areas that they control. This leads to a decentralization of power and eventual empty state coffers. These new power centers of clan leadership now no longer can extract anything else from the state so they turn to each other through an informal regime of clan bargaining. (Collins Kathleen.
Given the nature of man, factions are inevitable. As long as men hold different opinions, have different amounts of wealth, and own different amount of property, they will continue to fraternize with people who are most similar to them. Both serious and trivial reasons account for the formation of factions but the most important source of faction is the unequal distribution of property. Men of greater ability and talent tend to possess more property than those of lesser ability, and since the first object of government is to protect and encourage ability, it follows that the rights of property owners must be protected. Property is divided unequally, and, in addition, there are many different kinds of property; men have different interests depending upon the kind of property they own. For example, the interests of landowners differ from those who own businesses. Government must not only protect the conflicting interests of property owners, it must, at the same time, successfully regulate the conflicts that result from those who own, and those who do not own, property.
New World Encyclopedia, . "http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org." http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Somali_Civil_War. New World Encyclopedia, 19 Dec 2008. Web. 11 Mar 2011.
Before the war, Somalia had a well-functioning democratic republic government. Under the 1979 Constitution, the president held executive power. The president was the head and leader of the country’s sole legal political party, The Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party. Elected to serve a 7-year term, the president was nominated by the party’s central committee. Ever since the civil war in 1991, when the government collapsed, Somalia has been in a state of civil war and anarchy (“Somalian Government”).
The Dinka and the Nuer are two culturally similar ethnic groups that reside in Southern Sudan. Through time, they had changed not only culturally but also politically. Evan Pritchard introduces the Nuer and the Dinka to the western world as a simple cow herding society with a patrilineal structure, that centered around was defined by their kinship, extending networks and forming of political structures. The Dinka and the Nuer are an excellent example of Carl Schmitt’s dichotomy concept of friends and enemy, they represent how a culture can be altered based on what political nation state has the political power.
Factions pose a threat to democracy and its associated ideals. This notion is proven through the overpowering of the minority by the majority, in which the opinions of certain groups are silenced, while others amplified. This majority and minority also forge animosity that not only creates competition, but sways the government away from its true purpose. Therefore, since the purpose of government is swayed, leadership becomes an issue. These issues are part of a cluster of other issues that prove factions detrimental to democracy and its principles.
No force has had a greater impact on modern nations and their cultures than imperialism. Imperialism is a policy of extending a nation’s rule over foreign areas by acquiring and holding colonies. During the nineteenth century in particular, imperialism became a trend among wealthy European nations such as Great Britain, France, and Italy, as countries competed to gain resources and expand their empires. In enforcing these policies, imperial powers spread numerous effects over the span of the globe. The question is, were the effects of imperialism beneficial or detrimental to the colonized nations? For the nation of Somalia, it is clear that imperialism was nothing but a perversion of justice, as their bloody post-independence history in particular shows when compared with the peace that existed pre-imperialism. The British and Italian imperial policies proved destructive to the nation of Somalia, as shown by the current absence of governmental stability, lack of economic prosperity, and increasing ethnic conflict.
The idea of ‘state collapse’ within Somalia, as well as the need for intervention, relies upon the idea that Somalia itself was at some point a functioning ‘state’. Somalia was a country that had experienced excessive amounts of political v...
The United States can start by easing some restrictions in their counterterrorism policy. The humanitarian relief agencies are not handing over the money to the militants willingly but are forced to. They are handing the money over to reach people desperately in need of basic necessities. The ultimate goal is to reach the people who desperately need international aid. In certain cases, there should be an evaluation of what is the best course of action between the two difficult options. Giving money to the militants and getting aid to the people or not negotiating with the militants and watch the people suffer. I feel the United States has to look at the lesser of two evils. Understandably, the United States is concerned of designated funds getting into the hands of militants to fund and execute operations, however aid needs to get to the people who are suffering. The United States can take initiative and get a direct line of communication between the government of Somalia and the militants to come up with a common goal to assist the people in the war ravaged nation. I believe this can set the stage for future diplomatic meetings between Somalia and the United States. There could even be an option with direct talks with Al-Shabaab if diplomacy makes its way to the table.
Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east. With the longest coastline on the continent, its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. It is made up of the former British Protectorate of Somaliland and Italy’s former Trust Territory of Somalia. Somalia’s modern history began in the late 1800’s, when European powers began to trade and settle in the Somalia area. These events and the events that occurred during the 20th century helped shape the modern Somalia government and culture today.
According to Quincy Wright, war is a “necessary means to establish, maintain, or expand the power of a government, party, or class within a state.” Wright’s statement is applicable to the Yugoslav Wars during the late twentieth century. The fragmented government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was losing its grip on legitimacy rather quickly due to the Socialist Republic collapsing fast. Wars rooted in deep internal ethnic and religious conflict propelled the Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and the Federation’s government in to a period of pseudo-legitimacy while the nations of the region struggled for autonomy, recognition, and harmony. This paper will attempt to prove how the diversionary theory of war is applicable
There have been many factors that contributed to this situation. The region that is now considered Somalia has gone through much strife throughout history. In the 1960’s it established independence and ratified a constitution, but in 1969 their elected leader was assassinated. A bloodless military coup ensued in which the nation’s Army assumed power. The Commander of the Army, Major General Mohamed Siad Barre became the President and instituted a military government.
The Somali people are comprised of a number of tribes. Seventy percent of these tribes are the nomadic tribes of Dir, Darood, Isaaq, and Hawiye; the remaining thirty percent of the population is comprised of twenty percent agricultural tribes, Digil and Rahanweyn, and ten percent coastal fishing communities (Mohamed, 2009). A large element of Somali politics involves heads of clans and sub-clans playing a pragmatic balancing game, seeking protection from stronger groups and then shifting to balance them when one side becomes strong enough to threaten its partner’s autonomy (Reno,
Somalia coastline was one of the best strategic gifts in the world. In the past there was 14 attempts to reconstruct the state’s authority. The country constantly was hit by plague clan based groups, terrorist pledging allegiance, regional proxy wars, Islamic extremists, kidnappings, famine, and pirates. Somalia was torn apart by too much conflict for much of its 48 independent years. Somalia would of been a good power inside their region but in reality is was took over by lootings, famine, bomb attacks, wars, and piracy. The land of Somalia people was that of inhospitable and arid and has been for thousands of years. Warlords came in and destroyed the government and cut off large sections of the capital.
Somalia is a country with great geography because it is located on “the horn” of Africa. The country of Somalia borders the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Indian Ocean. The climate of Somalia is semi-arid with many main rain seasons which provides a conflict to the vegetation of the country. In the country of Somalia, livestock is important to the economy. Somalia's pre colonial history includes trading because of its location in Africa. The colonial period of Somalia lasted from 1840 to 1960. Somalia gained its independence in the year of 1960. The country of Somalia has had a changing government system. The current leader of Somalia is Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The economy of Somalia is important to the lives of the people.
Ross, Mark Howard. “The Relevance of Culture for the Study of Political Psychology and Ethnic Conflict”. Political Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 2, Special Issue: Culture and Cross-Cultural