Pirates have institutions, too

As we have noted before on this blog, people use the term failed state in ways that often make it analytically meaningless. People use it to refer to countries that are governed poorly by design (e.g., Afghanistan under the Taliban; Zimbabwe) and to those that lack a central government which has a monopoly on the use of violence (e.g., Somalia). Calling the former a failed state makes no sense as there is a big difference between a bad government and no government at all. While in a narrow sense the term failed state makes sense for the latter, it is important not to confuse lack of a central government with no government at all. A recent UN report on Somalia makes clear that there are stable governing institutions in Somalia, at least in the pirate sector (read carefully – I did not write private sector, but pirate sector). According to the report: Continue reading »

Somalia is not a failed state

According to Sharif Ahmed.  He makes some good points, but I”m not sure it is correct to say that the rest of the world thinks that Somalia is of no consequence: the piracy, terrorism and generally bad situation there means that lots of people are paying attention.

To make his case, Ahmed cites the underfunding of the AU mission and the need for more Somali troops.  He is right to say that more is needed in both cases, but I fail to see how either qualifies as evidence of neglect.   The AU is chronically underfunded, in part because it is an independent African association (or supposed to be) and African countries don’t have many resources to share.  This is a reason to help develop Africa, but that’s not entirely our fault (Ahmed appears to be addressing the West; if he is directing his remarks at African leaders – as he should be – then my apologies).

He also states that Somalia needs more troops.  Again, I’m sure he’s right, but this is not always a case of underfunding; witness Iraq and Afghanistan or Pakistan.  The US has poured in billions of dollars and all three still lack adequate forces, both national and otherwise.  Years of war across the globe have stretched everyone a little thin, even while there is will to help.  It is unfortunate, because peacekeeping troops probably could help Somalia stabilize, but I’m not sure where they’d come from.  Even with stability, there is no guarantee that Somalia will emerge from this as a successful state.  So far it seems that the Somalis just don’t like each other, and that is not a good start for nation-building.

I wish Ahmed luck.  I think he needs to lead the international community in rebuilding his country, and he can start by not expecting us to simply follow.

A DG Student/U.S. Soldier’s Notes from Uganda

Last year, I started Georgetown University’s Democracy and Governance graduate program; this year, I’m in Uganda on a mission (or two). My primary mission is a military one: I’m deployed here as a civil affairs specialist with the U.S. Army Reserves. My team’s job is to assist the Ugandan army with the civil-military relations aspect of their disarmament campaign in a remote region of the country called Karamoja. As you may have guessed, it’s not your typical deployment – unlike in Iraq or Afghanistan, the U.S. military’s footprint in Africa is very small, and the only battles being fought here are in the “hearts and minds” of the African people. So you’re probably not going to hear much about this mission on the news, but as much as my time and my job permits, you’re going to hear about it here. Continue reading »