CIAO DATE: 06/2014
Volume: 13, Issue: 0
January 2013
Andrew Scott Duffield
This essay is a contribution to the literature on Somali state formation
by reviving Charles Tilly's concepts and insights explaining how warfare impacts state-building. It theorizes, analyzes, and explains how
three Somali territories-Somaliland, Puntland, and South-Central
Somalia-underwent such different state-building trajectories since the
collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. To that end, it demonstrates
how Tilly's work may be applied in a modern context, such as to rebel
groups, unrecognized states, and regional political systems operating
within a state. It recognizes and overcomes gaps in Tilly's literature by
incorporating recent scholarship on Limited Access Orders (LAO) by
Douglass North. The essay demonstrates how the organization, financing, and use of violence, as well as qualities about the violent actors
themselves, influence state-building trajectories.
Nasir Warfa, Kamaldeep Bhui, Sarah Curtis, Charles Watters, Ken Carswell, David Ingleby
Background: The discourse about mental health problems among migrants and refugees tends to focus on adverse pre-migration experiences; there is less investigation of the environmental conditions in which refugee migrants live, and the contrasts between these situations in different countries. This cross-national study of two samples of Somali refugees living in London (UK) and Minneapolis, Minnesota, (USA) helps to fill a gap in the literature, and is unusual in being able to compare information collected in the same way in two cities in different countries.
Laura Hammond
This paper was originally prepared for the High Level Panel on Somali
Refugees convened by the High Commissioner for Refugees to take
place in Geneva on 13 and 14 November 2013. The Panel is part of a
Global Initiative the High Commissioner has launched to rally international support for creative, meaningful and transformative solutions
for Somali refugees.
Intended to provide context and lay the ground for in-depth discussion by the Panel, the paper overviews the nature, trends and issues
in Somali refugee displacement in the near region while also touching
on the pertinent aspects of Somali refugee displacement in other parts
of Africa, the Gulf and further afield. It provides a brief overview of
the history and evolution of the estimated 500,000 Somali refugees in
Kenya, 250,000 in Ethiopia, 260,000 in Yemen, 20,000 in Djibouti and
20,500 in Uganda while including pertinent information on internal
displacement. The numbers are large but should not mask the heterogeneity within each host country's refugee population. Some refugees
have been displaced for three generations; others are recent arrivals.
Past actions in managing displacement and return in the region are
reviewed and the conditions facing the Somali refugees examined. It
becomes clear that varying solutions may have to be pursued for different groups and some situations may have more or fewer options than
others. It is however not the purpose of the paper itself to reveal the
new solutions. Its principal objective is rather to extract lessons from
Paivi Harinen, Ville-Samuli Haverinen, Marko Kananen, Jussi Ronkainen
With more than one million people scattered around the world, Somalis form a significant part of the world’s diaspora population. Although Somalia has recently experienced a certain level of stability and encouraging developments, the diaspora community keeps growing. Due to security threats, drought, and famine, millions of Somalis still live in refugee camps. These problematic conditions imply that the Somali diaspora must remain the focus of transnational migration research generating new perspectives and insights. Furthermore, although return to Somalia might be an option for some of the Somalis living in diaspora, many of them will not return. That is why research should pay attention to their opportunities to live as equal citizens in their new home countries. This article adds another voice to the rich and complex scientific discourse about the Somali diaspora. It presents an analysis of the possibilities and obstacles that Somali immigrants face while striving for full and equal membership in two very different societies: the United States and Finland. The analysis is based on a comparison between national laws and policies that regulate the immigrants’ chances to enjoy certain civic rights, have access to employment, participate in public life, and be protected against discrimination. In addition, it uses statistics from both countries to illustrate how Somali immigrants have managed to access these rights. The empirical figures thus outline the concrete and conceptual frames of diaspora citizenship.
Stabilization and Common Identity: Reflections on the Islamic Courts Union and Al-Itihaad (PDF)
Robrecht Deforche
Portrayed as a failed state and characterized by years of conflict and disaster, Somalia has been the center of much research. Issues ranging from scarcity to piracy have been investigated and discussed. In the search for solutions some issues have been highlighted while others have not been adequately addressed. This intervention focuses on the question of identity because this issue negatively impacts the experience of the Somali people. The remarkable transition from clan rivalry toward relative stability under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in 2006 should be examined in order to understand whether the emphasis on religious identity (Section VI) could potentially overcome the clanbased conflict. Before elaborating on ethnic and clan identity (Sections IV and V), some theoretical principles are introduced (Section II). Considering the failure of secular nationalism (Section V), the ICU umbrella successfully united the Somali people under the values of their shared religion. Unfortunately, this so-called Golden Age lasted for only six months. Hence, it is hard to say whether or not the common religious identity had gained ground against clan identity. Thus, the creation of a legitimate and representative government will only succeed when the question of identity can be appropriately approached.
Editor's Note (PDF)
I begin this briefest of notes to express my profoundest apology to all subscribers and the larger readers of Bildhaan. As many of you already know or will see now, this volume is for 2013. The reasons for the delay are a few but two stand out. The first concerns my own availability as the editor-in-chief. Some of you will remember that I have been on sabbatical leave for two years, until the autumn of 2013. During that period, I was fully engaged in either the political campaign for running for the presidency of Somalia or pre-occupied with the aftermath—the latter including my resignation of my parliamentary seat, the preparations to find a replacement, and my journeys to Somaliland. The second reason was due to the late arrival of some submissions and the extraordinary time it took to review and then communicate with the authors. Here, I want to send particular gratitude to the authors whose work now appears in the pages of the volume. Their patience has been exceptional.