- a Ph.D. candidate in political science and public administration at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University. My research interests focus on the transformation of civil war - post-civ... morea Ph.D. candidate in political science and public administration at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University. My research interests focus on the transformation of civil war - post-civil war state formation and democratization, political Islamism and armed non-state actors in Somalia.edit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This study seeks to assess how the conflict in Somalia has transformed over the years and examines the merits of adopting a hybrid approach to peacebuilding. The article argues that given the changes experienced in the conflict and the... more
This study seeks to assess how the conflict in Somalia has transformed over the years and examines the merits of adopting a hybrid approach to peacebuilding. The article argues that given the changes experienced in the conflict and the socio-political and cultural characteristics of the Somali Society, a hybrid peace strategy which combines the traditional Xeer approach and contemporary counter-terrorism strategies can fill the gaps previous peace efforts failed to achieve. This approach has the potential to re-establish the horizontal and vertical social contracts between the people themselves and with the government which had been lost prior to and during the conflict.
The collapse of the military regime in Somalia on January 21, 1991, was followed by a bloody civil war among clans, causing a severe humanitarian crisis. Most of the studies about the civil war and its implications have considered it an... more
The collapse of the military regime in Somalia on January 21, 1991, was followed by a bloody civil war among clans, causing a severe humanitarian crisis. Most of the studies about the civil war and its implications have considered it an internal conflict. The emergence of armed Islamists and the US counterterrorism after 9/11 changed the nature of the Somali conflict. Ironically, external efforts to degrade armed Islamists backfired and brought them political gains. This article reflects on the birth of armed Islamist groups and their role on the transformation of the Somali conflict from a civil war among clans to the war on terror led by the US. The regionalization and internationalization of the conflict undermined efforts of peace and state-building in Somalia. De-regionalization and deinternationalization of the conflict is recommended, along with the construction of a Somali national army to replace the foreign troops combating Al-Shabaab.
Research Interests:
This chapter examines how and why peace has remained elusive in the Somali crisis following the events that marked the collapse of Siad Barre’s regime in 1991. Although several studies have been undertaken on this case, and a number of... more
This chapter examines how and why peace has remained elusive in the Somali crisis following the events that marked the collapse of Siad Barre’s regime in 1991. Although several studies have been undertaken on this case, and a number of recommendations suggested, limited attention has been placed on the transformation of the conflict and the need to modify some of the peacebuilding strategies to cope with the changes. This study discusses how the conflict in Somalia has evolved, weaknesses in the previous peace efforts, and provides recommendations. It looks at the traditional Xeer practices in Somalia and its relevance in solving contemporary conflict.
The conflict in Somalia is nearing three decades since the bloody civil war that has eventually transformed into a war on terrorism begun. Three generations continue to experience the devastating impacts of the conflict that broke out in... more
The conflict in Somalia is nearing three decades since the bloody civil war that has eventually transformed into a war on terrorism begun. Three generations continue to experience the devastating impacts of the conflict that broke out in 1991. Despite the numerous peace efforts, there seems to be little success in overcoming the protracted conflict. Existing literature emphasize on the role of clan identity, poor governance and external factors as the main causes of the conflict but fall short of providing sustainable peacebuilding efforts. This article opines that in Somalia the bond between the government and the people has long been and efforts to revive the hopes and trust of the citizens on their government needs to be prioritised. It identifies several gaps in previous peace approaches that isolated public participation and gave room for laxity in implementation of the peace accords as some of the main challenges to peace. The paper argues that more elaborate efforts need to be taken to revive the social contract at two levels. One, among the people themselves and secondly, between the people and the government. The recommendation should be anchored on a new constitutional dispensation that will not only be bottom-up driven but also should address some of the deep-rooted grievances of key actors through a constitutional process.