Real terrorism and mock media
The recent terrorist attacks that took place in Mogadishu and Boston were not just intended to kill and mutilate many civilians, but to create widespread terror, disarray, and insecurity that would l...
Author Archives: Abukar Arman
Ending ‘Doormat Politics’ in Somalia
“More than ever, foreign policy is economic policy. The world is competing for resources and global markets.” John Kerry. Considering the positive trend of the past eighteen months, Somalia is en r...
Connecting the dots in the triangle of threat
Just as the temperature of ‘security threat’ slowly declines in Somalia, it rises in other parts of East Africa. Elements of mainly political, religious, and clan/ethnic nature continue to shift and ...
Sustainable Peace: Why Somaliland Matters
Like in wars between states and other organized groups, civil wars and other protracted domestic conflicts are seldom caused by a single factor. Over time, even those that prove to be the exception t...
Balkanization and subjugation of Somalia
Let me begin by saying that had it not been for Somalis transgressing against other Somalis, the state would neither have been in its current pitifully fragmented state, nor would it have become the ...
Political Expediency may forfeit reform in Somalia
The worst thing that could happen to Somalia at this critical juncture—in its recovery from two decades of bloodshed and chaos— is to disrupt the momentum of security improvement and to derail the re...
Somalia, US, and the Dual-Track letdown
Somalia in particular and Horn of Africa in general are at such a volatile stage that any misstep—domestic or foreign—could only further exacerbate that perilous condition. One such potential misstep...
Peace, Security, and the Upshot of Political Subjugation
If I could think of any tactfully discreet and diplomatically clear way to describe the outcome of the 15th Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government on Somalia with...
A New Paradigm for Engaging Somalia
The stakes are much higher than ever before. And, despite the negative reports that dominate the news and thus perpetuate the sense of hopelessness, voices of reason are becoming more audible against...