Weapons Trafficking in Somalia Essay

“I don 't recognize my people anymore. I feel Somalia is lost. There is no Somalia. It is just a name (Abdi, 2016)”. Over the past 20 years Somalia as a country has been in turmoil and constant fighting. Today’s Somalia is still a harsh environment and the people are unforgiving as they too are trying to survive this oasis of violence. Considering Somalia in the news now we see after years of fighting and trying to support this country with food, water, and security it has progressed but not quickly. It has been a battle for any support to the country essentially taking two steps forward and one step back.

Arizona State University (ASU) liberty database holds thousands of different articles, for all your needs. The article State Failure, State-Building, and Prospects for a “Functional Failed State” in Somalia, by Ken Menklaus has been recorded to be cited 5 times in all databases within Social Science, Emerging Sources, and in a book. (all data stated within the ASU’s library database) the credibility of the article is not just proven by being part of ASU’s vast collection of articles but also by the man that wrote the article. Reading the article will take time, it’s an article that without a boundless understanding of the subject would sound senseless to the reader. Author Ken Menklaus is a Professor of Political Science at Davison College,

to organize basic services on their own and many continue to suffer from the patchwork and insecurity of different militia and authorities who maintain power in the various regions. Somaliland, a small northern section, is Somalia's best example of a successful administration. Declaring independence shortly after the state collapse, Somaliland has fully functioning parliaments, court systems, and security sector (Menkhaus, 2014). Economically, they have managed to function on a modest budget, but revenues from a successful seaport have helped to maintain economic stability, at least in this part of the country (Menkhaus, 2014). Despite these crucial steps in establishing and maintaining a functional governing body, Somaliland is not internationally

The country of Somalia has undergone massive amounts of armed violence, yet not many people have attempted to stand up for them. The Basic Human Rights, if followed, could turn the downfall of this country overtime into a thriving community repairing itself. The country is so infested with anti-government militias. The country can't help itself but to cower in fear in hope for a

The country’s worst violence outbreak in 10 years occurred in May 2006 as Islamist militia began to battle Somali warlords. The Islamist militia gained control of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and went on to establish control in a majority of the south. The government attempted peace negotiations with the Islamic Courts Council, but was

The United States has three main interests in Somalia. The first interest is the abundance of untapped natural resources, especially the oil reserves. Estimates have shown that Somalia could produce as much as 110 billion barrels of oil.4 The second US interest is Somalia’s strategic location. Its coast is a short distance from the sea lane that connects the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This sea lane has seen many attacks from pirates originating in Somalia, so multiple nations have taken action to protect ships in the area.1 Finally, the U.S. has an interest in Somalia because of the presence of the terrorist organization, al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab is an al Qaeda affiliate, and their primary goal is to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic State.5 The United States provides support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) whose main mission is to reduce the threat from al-Shabaab and create a stable government in

During the 1990’s, Somalia had a famine crisis, which many Westerners labeled as a ‘humanitarian crisis.’ As always, the hegemon, which was the United States, stepped up to the plate and helped in providing food for the starving Somalis. Seeing starving children drew Westerners to sympathize with these individuals and they blamed the inept Somali government for not doing enough to help its citizens. The intervention was meant to deliver food to the Somalia, but later that turned to ‘mission creep’, “the temptation commanders feel to chase success and perhaps glory around the next corner by expanding their mandate and rolling over anyone in their way” (Hoagland, 1: 1993). What was a humanitarian crisis has now turned into a nation-building

There are many external actors that have played an immediate role in Somalia conflict which are neighboring countries and first there will be a focus on sub region and four of its constituent states for example Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Djibouti

In Kathy Gilsinan’s With World Focused on Boko Haram, al-Shabaab Steps Up Offensive (http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/13841/with-world-focused-on-boko-haram-al-shabaab-steps-up-offensive), the topic of al-Shabaab’s legitimacy and terror is discussed. As Boko Haram (another terrorist organization in Africa) has begin inflicting fear through the abduction of schoolgirls and other acts of terror, al-Shabaab has began to take up arms. Its acts of violence are beginning to spread outside the borders of Somalia.

Since 1991the Civil War began, and during the 90s the United States and the United Nation made several efforts to bring peace to the region which failed. In 1998 the northern punt land region declares autonomy. In the 2000s in Somalia the unrest would continue; from several attempts to have a stable government and bring peace to the region. Ethiopian troops also made an effort to bring peace to the region, but eventually also gave up and left Somalia as well. The country also has problems with pirates, and the terrorist group Al-Shabab who has control over part of the country. It was not until 2012 when Somalis elected their first president and parliament but even then this new government its still dependent on outsiders to stabilized and offer

Somalia has been engaged in a civil war since 1991. The war has destroyed national governance structures leaving Somalia a patchwork of clan fiefdoms. In this chaotic environment, Non- governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Islamic organizations replaced the government in providing necessary services to the people of Somalia.

Since its independence, Somalia has encountered one opposition after another. Boarder disputes, internal struggles, unstable government, civil war, lawlessness, massive famine, tribal warfare, increased terrorism, peacekeeping failures, and piracy all have shaped the state of Somalia to become what it is today. This case study seeks to explore the reasons behind the various failures, struggles, and difficulties past Somalia has encountered, the challenges present Somalia faces, and the recommendations a future Somalia can look forward to as a unified nation under a stable and successful economy.

Somalia is a country that has become synonymous with war. The international community continues to spend billions yearly in the fight to stabilize the country even with the persistence of criminal activity and transnational threat groups. The fall of the Somalian Government in 1991 set the conditions for terrorists, pirates, and criminal gangs to use Somalia as a base of operations. (Reed, Thompson, Kfir, 2015) The increase donor spending is accredited to the recent success of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) against Al Shabaab.

“Poor economic health frequently breeds political conflict and potential civil war in a state.” Somalia’s coastal waters are abundant in sea life. Fishing is an industry ripe for growth and is a prime choice with which to stimulate the economy. Economic backing and direct aid is necessary but is only as effective as the security in region. Fishing vessels and processing facilities could be funded or leased by other countries as beginning options. However, if aid cannot be guaranteed to reach those in need, it should not be delivered. In some cases, due to the lack of security, foreign aid flows directly to the terrorist groups instigating violence on the area. Accordingly, economic aid must be used with discretion. Similar to President Obama’s accord with Pakistan, conditional economic and developmental aid is the way forward. The conditions set must focus on the ability for a developing government to commit to security as outlined in the Military IOP discussion earlier in this

Al-Shabaab as a terrorist group poses a significant threat in Somalia and in the global community. This paper will start by discussing the background. In this part the paper will show how the group has evolved from Al-Ittihad Al-Islam (AIAI) to the Islamic Court Union (ICU) and lastly to Al-Shabaab. Before discussing the group’s threat of national security, homeland and international, this paper will provide the conceptual meaning of key terminology, such as national security, homeland security, international security and globalization. It is important to understand these concepts before moving toward the main argument of the paper. After providing the framework for key concepts, the paper will discuss the group’s threat to Somalia in two areas, national security and homeland security. The paper will go further and identify the threats posed by the group on other nations’ homeland security and international security. We will use East African countries and the United States examples. The paper will provide evidence to support how globalization has shaped and fueled the threats from Al-Shabaab. It will then discuss the primary response from the United States and from African countries through AMISOM. The paper will provide the way forward and suggestions for the response of the international community to Al-Shabaab. In conclusion, we will try to alert the international community that although the group has been experience hard times in Somalia, it is unwise to