Somalia: Problems of a Failed State

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Somalia has been in a state of chaos since the overthrow of the authoritarian rule of President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. It looks at how the ousting of Said Barre marked a formal end of a difficult era but did not usher in a new one and how, owing in large measure to Barre's destructive, decisive policies, no broadly based political groups existed to succeed the old leader, which led to competing factions as anarchy filed in. The paper also discusses how the country remained in a state of conflict, chaos, lawlessness and famine until the catastrophe came to the attention of the broad international community in mid 1992 as a complex humanitarian emergency that eventually inspired military intervention.

From the Paper:

"Still, Somalia remains ungovernable as the same rival warlords who toppled the system almost 17 years ago turned on each other and have been unable to reach a consensus. The crisis has been prolonged due to additional factors such as the manipulation of clan loyalties, narrow-minded leaders, and fears of a revived state among local interests, coupled with numerous external factors, which has been more important since the departure of UN peacekeeping in 1995. While the world seem to have forgotten about Somalia, especially after the disastrous attempt by American Soldiers in Mogadishu in 1993 that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers, Somalia surprising lingers. Despite the lack of a central government, the country manages to exist with its currency (the Somali Shilling) still operating without a central bank."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abdi Ismail Samatar and Ahmed I. Samatar (Ed). The African state : reconsiderations. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, c2002.
• Bryden, Matt. Can Somalia Salvage Itself? Current History, May2006, Vol. 105 Issue 691, p225-228
• Can the Somali Crisis Be Contained?, Africa Report No116, 10 August 2006
• Counter-Terrorism in Somalia: Losing Hearts and Minds? Crisis Group Africa Report No95, 11 July 2005 http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/terrorwar/analysis/2005/0711somalia.pdf
• Country Report on Terrorism, 2006. http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2006/

More papers on Somalia: Problems of a Failed State:

• Term Paper # 119395 : "Somalia: A Liberal Attempt at Resolution"
• Essay # 68035 : "A Day in the Life of a Member of Congress"
• Research Paper # 118876 : "Origins and Possible Renewal of the Welfare State"

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