Somalia

Fighting Terror Through Justice: Implementing the IGAD Framework for Legal Cooperation Against Terrorism

by Matthew Schwartz

Co-authored with the Task Force on Legal Cooperation against Terrorism in the IGAD Subregion.

East Africa and the Horn face a number of transnational security threats, including terrorism, transnational crime,... more East Africa and the Horn face a number of transnational security threats, including terrorism, transnational crime, and piracy. In recent years, particularly following the July 2010 attacks in Kampala, al-Shabaab has been increasingly viewed as a threat not only to Somalia, but to the greater subregion. Tourism has declined and shipping costs have risen due to the threat of piracy from Somalia. Lawless pockets where government reach is weak, together with rampant corruption, have turned the region into a major transit point for black market financial flows and various forms of illicit trafficking.

Terrorism and transnational crime increasingly threaten security in the subregion of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD]. Because of their transnational nature, no individual IGAD member state will single-handedly be able to deal effectively with these threats. As the IGAD Security Strategy adopted in December 2010 makes clear, effective cooperation will be crucial to winning the struggle against terrorism and to ensuring that other forms of transnational crime do not similarly jeopardize the IGAD subregion’s growth, prosperity, and stability.

Charlatans Chicanery

by Mohamed Eno

Thr poem is an excerpt from my forthcoming volume Guilt of Otherness

The volume is under review with a subject area expert and a literary critic. The volume is under review with a subject area expert and a literary critic.

Kein Krieg vor Somalia

by Tim René Salomon

Fishing in Troubled Waters - Somalia’s Maritime Zones and the Case for Reinterpretation

by Tim René Salomon

Thilo Neumann and Tim René Salomon ASIL Insights March 15, 2012
Volume 16, Issue 9

Orchestrating the Response: Somali Piracy and Ontological Complexity

by Christian Bueger

Failed State or Failed Label? The concealing concept and the case of Somalia

by Stian Eisenträger

The failed state label is catchy and works well in political propaganda, however the term is extremely value-laden and... more The failed state label is catchy and works well in political propaganda, however the term is extremely value-laden and it is outrageously imprecise.

Digital Media, Conflict and Diasporas in the Horn of Africa

by Iginio Gagliardone

Co-authored with Nicole Stremlau

The Horn of Africa is one of the least connected regions in the world. Nevertheless, digital media play an important... more The Horn of Africa is one of the least connected regions in the world. Nevertheless, digital media play an important social and political role in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia (including South-Central Somalia and the northern self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland). This paper shows how the development of the internet, mobile phones and other new communication technologies have been shaped by confl ict and power struggles in these countries.
It addresses some of the puzzles that characterize the media in the region: for example, how similar rates of penetration of media such as the internet and mobile phones have emerged in Somalia, a state which has not had a functioning government for two decades, and in Ethiopia, one of the countries with the most pervasive and centralized political apparatus in Africa.
The paper also gives particular attention to the role played by diasporas, which have been highly infl uential in starting the first websites, blogs and forums covering the politics of the Horn and facilitating debates among Eritreans, Ethiopians and Somalis living at home or abroad.
The paper concludes by discussing the often-innovative, but little acknowledged, ways in which digital media have blended with their predecessors to fashion unique hybrid media and communications systems.

Operation Restore Hope and the illusion of a news media driven intervention

by Piers Robinson

US intervention in Somalia (1992) and Iraq (1991) are held as evidence for a more powerful media in the post Cold War... more US intervention in Somalia (1992) and Iraq (1991) are held as evidence for a more powerful media in the post Cold War era and the thesis that media coverage of suffering people is a major cause of humanitarian intervention. This paper investigates the role of mass media during the 1992 decision to deploy ground troops in Somalia. A media influence model is outlined and then applied to the decision to intervene in Somalia. The research indicates that significant levels of media attention actually followed the intervention decision and that this coverage was framed in a way that built support for the intervention. I conclude there is little evidence to support the claim that media coverage compelled policy makers to intervene or that media coverage was a major factor in policy deliberations. Overall, the role of media in causing intervention in Somalia has been substantially overplayed, instead other factors are likely to have had a far greater effect in causing the intervention. This finding challenges both the thesis that media coverage is a major cause of the deployment of ground troops during humanitarian crisis and suggests caution be exercised with regard to post-Cold War claims of a more powerful and influential media.

The Political Economy of Plunder: Economic Opportunity and Modern Piracy

by Ryan Jablonski

Maritime piracy is a growing scourge on the international community—imposing large costs on maritime states and... more Maritime piracy is a growing scourge on the international community—imposing large costs on maritime states and industries, as well as potentially undermining state capacity and funding terrorism. Using original data on over three thousand pirate attacks, we argue that these attacks are, in part, a response to poor labor market opportunities. To establish this, we take advantage of the strong effect of commodity prices on labor market opportunities in piracy-prone states. Consistent with our theory, we show that changes in the price of labor and capital-intensive commodities have consistent and strong effects on the number of pirate attacks in a country’s territorial waters each month. We confirm these results by instrumenting for commodity prices using monthly precipitation levels.

Economic Opportunities for the Very Poor: A Report of Research in Belet Weyne and Mogadishu, with Recommendations for Action.

by Rick Davies

A report produced for UNHCR. 1989

The Extension Of Credit To Assist Income Generation: Experiences With Refugee And Non-Refugee Groups In Somalia.

by Rick Davies

Mogadishu, 1989

Defining the Problem in Somalia: Perspectives from the Southern Minorities

by Mohamed Eno

Co-authored with Omar A. Eno and Dan van Lehman. The Journal of Anglo-Somali Society, London 2010 (For citation purpose: Issue No. 47 Spring 2010 ISSN 1361 – 4320, pp. 19-30.

Understanding Somalia through the Prism of Bantu Jareer Literature

by Mohamed Eno

In Ali J. Ahmed and Taddesse Adera, eds., The Road Less Traveled:
Reflections on the Literatures of the Horn of Africa.

This essay intends to touch briefly on the comparative cultures between Somalia and some of the communities in the... more This essay intends to touch briefly on the comparative cultures between Somalia and some of the communities in the neighboring countries. Second, the essay discusses the culture and literature of the Bantu Jareer, and their "thought and knowledge," which Sorokin calls "the very essence of civilization." To embark on this journey, we must unlearn much of what has been said of the Jareer, in particular, and of Somali culture in general. This is important if we are to discover what constitutes the aesthetics of Jareer history, literary art, social culture and thought. This act of unlearning what is committed to the official collective memory of the Somali demythologizes what I call "monoculturality of the camel complex" so pervasive in discussions of Somali culture. It is an act also that will help us uncover the Jarrer's "...tool of self-definition in relation to others."-Wa Thiong'o.

Armed Guards on Vessels: Insurance and Liability

by Mišo Mudrić

Comparative Maritime Law, Vol.50, No.165, December 2011

The Paper examines the insurance and liability issues resulting from the use of armed guards on board vessels. The... more The Paper examines the insurance and liability issues resulting from the use of armed guards on board vessels. The study begins with an overview of the available data on key economic figures representing the projected overall annual costs of modern piracy. The focus is then shifted to the issue of public versus private security, where possible dangers of private-based security options are discussed in general. After explaining why the Somalia region deserves a closer attention when compared to other pirate-infested waters, a brief summary of the international effort to combat piracy threat is presented, followed by a structured overview of the use of private maritime security options in the maritime sector in general. One security option is the use of armed guards on board vessels. This option is explored both from the political (the acceptance by stakeholders) and legal standpoint (legal issues arising from the use of armed guards). An important remedy for the shipping companies/operators threatened by the piracy hazard is the existence of affordable and effective (specialized) marine insurance. A study of available piracy insurance policies is presented, followed by an analysis of case law and other legal issues arising from piracy attacks, which could prove important when considering the legal implications of armed guards employment. Finally, a simplified economic analysis of available security options is presented, followed by the final assessment of benefits derived from the use of armed guards.

Religione, conflitti e mutamenti politici: un’analisi comparata del Corno d’Africa

by Uoldelul Chelati Dirar

in '900. Per una storia del tempo presente' 3, 2010, pp. 77 -105

Inclusive but Unequal: The Enigma of the 14th SNRC and the Four-Point-Five (4.5) Factor

by Mohamed Eno

in Abdulahi A. Osman & Issaka K. Souare (Eds.) Somalia at the Crossroads: Challenges and Perspectives on Reconstituting a Failed State. London: Adonis & Abbey Publishers

Identity Crisis and Ethnic Marginalization in Somalia: The Case of the Bantu Jareer Community

by Mohamed Eno

VERITAS: The Academic Journal of St Clements University Vol. 1, No. 1, September 2009

The Journey Back to the Ancestral Homeland: The Return of the Somali Bantu Wazigua to Modern Tanzania

by Mohamed Eno

Co-authhored with Omar A. Eno;  In Abdi M. Kusow & Stephanie R.  Bjork (Eds.) From Mogadishu to Dixon: The Somali Diaspora in a Global Context. Trenton NJ: The Red Sea Press Inc.

A trajectória de um movimento islamita na Somália (2006-2010)

by Alexandra Magnolia Dias

The Incompetent

by Mohamed Eno

the poem is part of my forthcoming petry book: Guilt of Otherness

It is under review with a literary critic. It is under review with a literary critic.