Regional Governments Work

Regional governments are working in Somalia. See Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug. They aren't perfect, but they function more effectively than the central government has in decades. The reason regional governments are working, and will continue to proliferate, is because central governance necessarily brings two men to the most powerful positions, president and prime minister. In a country divide by many clan-families, and with violent clan politics in its near past, there is a high level of distrust in central government. And so regions that are populated primarily by one or two clans make it easy to share responsibility and benefit of office, and lead populations to sense some comfort, however imagined. 

Thus, decentralization of governance is the way forward in Somalia. Not succession or the creation of autonomous states, but rather a federal union. Therefore, the governments in Somaliland, Puntland and Galmudug should share their best practices and work to help those governments at earlier stages in development, so that a stable federated Somalia can emerge. From there, a more representative - but scaled down - central government can develop.  

Somaliland

Somaliland is a politically autonomous region in northern Somalia. It's separateness is based on its colonial history of ocuption by the British, while Southern Somalia was occupied by Italy, and Djibouti by France. In 1992 the region declared independence from Somalia, and since then it has made impressive progress in building a government and beginning to provide services to the population.

The people of the region largely supported independence because of the violent legacy of President Siad Barre, who bombed the main city in Somaliland, Hargeisa, in his attempt to quell opposition movements. With such a tragic experience with central government, its no surprise the people of the region want out of Somalia. Nevertheless, there is some division among Somalilanders about the way forward. One Somalilander told me that he still believes in a united Somalia because he has experienced its benefits, having gone to university in Mogadishu and enjoyed life in the city for decades. But he doubts that the youth, who make up the majority of Somaliland today and have never experienced Somalia as one nation, will ever sense the nationalism he feels.

Its important to note Somaliland isn't the only region to establish its own government; Puntland and Galmudug are two regions that also have governmental structures in place, and also enjoy relative peace. These regions, however, do not seek to succeed from Somalia. The reason for this are complex, but generally the political class does not see benefit in complete separation from Somalia. Somaliland has become so anti-union with Somalia that today, it is political suicide for a politician to be perceived even to make relations with Somalia. If Somaliland is ever to become a functioning region of a stable Somalia, it will have to change the political discourse dramatically.

In the mean time, the vast majority of Somalis do not support the succession of Somaliland. They see a united Somalia as more powerful than a divided nation. The Somali people all share a language, religion and ethnicity, apart from minority groups, and so they see little sense in brothers breaking apart into separate nations. Most ominously, Somalis are suspicious of Ethiopia's intention, as the neighbor appears to support whole heartedly the succession of Somaliland.  Ultimately, Somalis want to see the nation recover from the divisive politics of today, and return to the strength it once had. Somalia was, however surprising, the first post-independence African nation to have a peaceful democratic election and transfer of power. It should be capable, with the right leadership, of establishing a government that represents and supports the entire nation, including Somaliland. 

Impasse

I'm tired of people using the word "impasse" to describe Somalia's current political situation. Its true that things look bad in some parts of the country, but there is a lot more nuance than is often reported about. The TFG, for example, has effective ministeries, such as the ministry of finance, as well as the ineffective and corrupt ministries. There are also regional governments such as Somaliland, Puntland and Galmudug that are making progress on providing services to their populations.

Impasse suggests an impossibility of getting beyond the problem. This is not the mindset to approach any problem with, but unfortunately, many people who work on Somalia- especially non-Somalis- tend to view the problem through such a pessimistic lens. That has to change or it could lead to reinforcement of the problem, not to mention the "Nairobi Mafia" and those who benefit from the perpetuation of Somalia's problems.

HOPE

I'm sitting at work and feeling a bit bored so I just wrote this poem in the last 5 minutes. Its basically about hope- what is being hoped for is for the reader to fill in, whether peace in times of war, love in times of loneliness etc etc. I don't share much poetry so hope you like it (no pun intended).

HOPE

Hope is being in a desert,

Not lost but not sure

exactly where you are.

Clothes are tattered,

eyes are sandy,

mouth is dry,

all is yellow.

You feel hazy,

with limbs weak and fragile.

You push forward with all your energy

to take one step forward,

but its futile.

Its as if you move backwards

making no progress.

All energy has long faded away.

You become frustrated

and grab at your hair,

curse the ground

and hope to die.

Soon.

Your eyes are closed,

it feels easy to leave them shut

and you think there is no use

to expend such energy

when nothing lies ahead.

Losing hope with every failed step.

Suddenly a breeze pushes by you,

slightly cool, inspiring, alive.

And you remember why you're pushing forward.

An oasis lies just ahead,

lush with greens and deep blue water.
Water.

You can already taste it cooling your dry mouth

just from hope,
based in belief.

Your head rises up

and you force your eyes open.

Squinting, you outstretch your right leg

taking one step closer.
Still unsure where it leads
but knowing there is something better.

Closer to fulfillment and the future.

Closer to life.

Thinking Critically

A friend of mine is doing a PhD with a concentration in critical theory. This morning we spoke on the phone and she began telling me all about what she's studying. I'd never been exposed to critical theory until she defined it for me. She said critical theory is essentially the critical study and deconstruction of accepted ideas and beliefs in a society. Looking at where basic beliefs like religion, secularism, tolerance etc stem from, one can better understand how firm these ideas truly are. As it turns out, many concepts that we hold dearly can be challenged by a critical assessment. Tolerance, for example, seems like a valuable concept in pluralistic societies; we all want to get along no matter our differences. A critical theorist, however, could look at tolerance more critically as a mechanism to maintain an unequal power balance through superficial acceptance of a status quo. Why shouldn't a minority group be given equal rights and opportunities as the majority group, rather than just be tolerated?

I find tremendous value in critical theory. The problem is that there is no beginning or end to the project. In any assessment by a critical theorist, their assessment itself can be deconstructed with numerous arguments against their basic premises. Nevertheless there is value and learning gained from the process.

Some might think, when looking at the case of Somalia, it is a luxury to be analyzing critically the foundations on which much of our premises lie. I for one find it essential. For example- why are we trying so hard to establish a central government? Is it really the case that this is the best political route for the country? And even if this is the case, are the Somali people willing to accept that? Somalia hasn't moved forward in years as a rushed game of politicking has been taking place. Perhaps what is best now is for the players, domestic and international, to critically assess why it is they believe in the current process.

Parliament - an obstacle to peace?

It appears Somalia's parliament is poised to extend its term for another 2 or 3 more years. This comes shortly after IGAD announced its support of an extension. This IGAD announcement is being used as an excuse by MPs to show that the "international community" supports a transition, when in reality the IGAD announcement essentially reflects Ethiopian policy. Nevertheless, since parliament looks like its going to stick around a while longer, how can the Somali political process be moved forward? Clearly an amendment to the Charter is needed to avoid any future unilateral extensions, but as for today, how can parliament be held accountable to be a more productive force and make the necessary changes? This is the question I'm asking myself and I wonder if its structurally possible. Perhaps Parliament by its nature, especially in the current political configuration, is designed to be a corrupt obstacle to peace.

Nevertheless, there are some bright spots in parliament, some MPs who are in favor of reform. These are the actors that should be supported and they themselves need to do a better job of reaching out to the Somali people.

A new cabinet, a new hope?

Somalia now has a new and largely diaspora cabinet, with 7 Americans, including the prime minister. This is exciting for a lot of people because it represents a departure from business as usual. The same corrupt faces who have made a living off of Somali politics have been deprived- at least in name- of the powers associated with being ministers. Of course that still leaves the bloated parliament with its many unsavory characters in the mix. Whether the current transitional federal government accomplishes anything in the next eight months, which is the duration of their mandate, depends partly on whether parliament will cooperate- unlikely- and whether the international community will provide them with the necessary support- also unlikely. The bright spot in all of this is that hopefully more diaspora and non-diaspora Somalis who have not made careers off of politicking will feel more comfortable stepping forward with new ideas. Because if anything is clear regarding the Somalia debacle, its that fresh ideas and fresh faces are desperately needed.