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chapter 8 africa's early history
impact of imperialism in somalia
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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
• Pham, J. Peter, “Do Not Resuscitate” The National Interest, No. 94 Mar/Apr. (2008)
• Raffaelli, Mario."The EU in Somalia: Furthering Peacemaking and Reconciliation." The International Spectator 42.1 (2007): 121-7. CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. CSA. 10 Mar. 2010 .
• Stevenson, Johnathan,"The Somali Model?" The National Interest, No. 90 Jul./Aug. (2007).
Civil War is another shared similarity between both Somalia and the United States. In 1991, following the overthrow of the dictator, Siad Barre, Somalia descended into anarchy. With no government presence to maintain some type of order, clan-based warlords began competing with each other, thus beginning civil unjust. While northern parts of Somalia, as well as the self-declared “Republic of Somaliland,” have remained somewhat peaceful, internal fighting flares up with little to no warning. Since 1991, it is estimated that 350, 000 to 1,000,000 Somalia’s have died due to the lack...
"Peacekeeping and Peacemaking." Reading and Remembrance . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . (tags: none | edit tags)
The. “Country of Somalia.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Inc. -. 2001. The 'Secondary' of 11 Sep. 2001. 6.
Menkhaus, K. (2011, November 5). A thousand fatwas for Somalia's al-Shabaab - The Globe and
... another state with the mindset of hopefully improving the overall atmosphere. Although intervention will always be in question, whether or not intervention is just an excuse to invade, with the creation of this resolution and the topic in discussion, most likely intervention will result it positive outcomes. One of the biggest contribution to successful interventions is the intention the state has going in. If the intention is to hopefully resolve conflicts and to intervene peacefully, meaning an unlikely possibility of military enforcement, intervention will be successful.
Pogodda, Sandra, Oliver Richmond, Nathalie Tocci, Roger Mac Ginty, and Birte Vogel. "Assessing the impact of EU governmentality in post-conflict countries: pacification or reconciliation?." European Security (2014): 1-23.
At that time in the early 1990’s, the U.S. was the only superpower country left in the world. The Soviet Union collapsed after the Cold War and the left the U.S. at the top. With the U.S. being the only superpower left, it meant that they were the only ones who could try to keep peace between other countries and hopefully end violence in the world. At the time, Somalia was a complete disaster and still is to this day. They have no structural government and warlords rule parts of the country.
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.
Friedman, U. (2011, July 19). What It took for the U.N to declare famine in Somalia. Retrieved
The United States Military Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (HOA) is a geographical region that encompasses the countries of Djibouti, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, and neighboring Yemen. Each country in the region houses many culturally unique distinctions to include groups, which comprise the HOA area of operation. Specifically one of these culturally unique groups originates out of Yemen. The country of Yemen, according to a 2004 census, has reached almost 20 million people (UNDP, 2010). Over 45% of the population lives on less than $2.00 U.S. a day (UNDP, 2010). The poverty-stricken people in Yemen have shaped a cultural group that in essence contains the majority of the Country’s population. The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate the current Yemen culture shaped by the effects of poverty on the people of Yemen. These effects span a wide array of problematic issues predicated on three major topics. The effects of poverty on the people of Yemen include severe health problems spanning a majority of the region, the decay of the Country’s political infrastructure, and the growing support of terrorist organizations in the region. The dilemmas in Yemen did not solely originate internally. Yemen is host to some 91,587 (as of 2007) refugees from Somalia (CIA, 2011). The wake of events perpetuated by the effects of poverty on the people of Yemen, left unchecked, will continue to erode with significant and lasting negative effects on the entire HOA Area of Responsibility (AOR) to include local, regional, and U.S. interests.
In the Africa, lies the country Somalia, which is located on east coast of the continent. Its capital, Mogadishu, however has inconveniently brought its own problems, from colonization to politics, disagreements arise, causing tension throughout the country. Somalia’s historical background and culture ultimately lead to the war in its capital, it lead to the War of Mogadishu.
Anonymous. "Somalia: 20 Years of Anarchy." BBC News. BBC, 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
When people such as writers, philosopher, and scientists of the past would imagine and predict what the world would be like in the twenty-first century, most thought of a glorious advanced human civilization. A civilization with a stable and unified global government and global economy that is beneficial to all. It seems that now, in year 2011, we are far from a stable international community. With a vast majority of people living without food, clean water, and basic political rights, the future envisioned 100 or 200 years ago is still far away. There are numerous nations with either weak or failed states. Since the people living in these states are usually suffering enormous hardships, something needs to be done. This leads to a few central questions like, how can a weak state be made stronger? What strategy is most likely to be effective? What would it take to turn a weak or failed state into one with sufficient strength to carry out the main functions of a state? All of these questions will be answered in order as this paper is read. Before diving into these questions, it is important to examine the key features/characteristics of a weak state.
Weber, Smith, Allan, Collins, Morgan and Entshami.2002. Foreign Policy in a transformed world. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.
IOs and states play a critical role in maintaining world peace and security. The United Nations (UN), in particular, is the centerpiece of global governance with respect to the maintenance of world peace. The UN provides general guidelines for all the states on how to solve potential conflicts and maintain international o...