ARTICLES

In the post-cold war era and the rise of a unipolar global hierarchical system led by the United States, the world had seen the fall of many authoritarian regimes (Kaldor, 2006). This caused many civil wars to break out in those countries ( Example: Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cambodia, Yugoslavia, …

There is a proverb that says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” The author of the proverb was underlying the importance of a strong foundation for future generations to build upon. In the past three decades, few such …

“As a country, we need to look beyond the hateful sentiments of some of our politicians and see the ‘crisis’ for what it is: ephemeral. Far from being a permanent phenomenon, the tide of asylum seekers is similar to a natural disaster — an acute circumstance that is as disruptive …

Somalia is a country where clan rivalries feed off each other and where politics are intensely clan-driven, with many self-appointed politicians swapping sides in alliances of convenience. The continuance of the clan culture in Somalia, the foundations for the conflict between clans, and the events involved in allowing it to …

Political Reform 2013-2016 Between 2013 and 2016, Somalia experienced the hype and disappointment of “Vision 2016,” metaphor for “political reform” that prioritized three tasks: 1. the review and completion of the Provisional Constitution; 2. the establishment of Federal Member States (FMS) through political and legal framework; and 3. the democratization of the political …

World Refugee Day should be an observance of communities that have opened their hearts and cities to those in need. While I have often expressed my thoughts about the Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, even including the burdens carried by Jordan and Palestine, it is only a starting point for recognizing the …

It has proven nearly impossible for the Kenyan government to quickly close the third largest refugee camp in the world. Meanwhile, fewer people have chosen to return to Somalia so far in 2018, compounding the issue. “Many of the inhabitants fled Somalia because of political instability in the ’90s and …

Somali civil society has played an important role in service delivery for decades, but is beset by challenges that have hindered progress on a number of issues. Feysal Osman argues that there are three key areas that need to be addressed. After the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991, …

Politicians and the media expend inordinate amounts of energy debating migration, often using nativist, populist and xenophobic rhetoric. This is despite the fact that, as of 2017, only three out of every 100 people – a mere 3.4% of the world’s population – have left their home nations to migrate to a …

After Somaliland declared its independence, local people in many parts of Somaliland cut down the remaining forest cover for livelihood, income generation and energy. Deforestation is permanent clearance of trees from land without replacing them. During 1998 to 1991, civil war broke out in Somalia which resulted total damage in …