War and Peace in Somalia: National Grievances, Local Conflict and Al-Shabaab

by Michael Keating (Editor), Matt Waldman (Editor)

For the last thirty years Somalia has experienced violence and upheaval. Today, the international effort to help Somalis build a federal state and achieve stability is challenged by deep-rooted grievances, local conflicts and a powerful insurgency led by Al-Shabaab.

Consisting of forty-four chapters by conflict resolution specialists and the world's leading experts on Somalia, this volume constitutes a unique compendium of insights into the insurgency and its impact. War and Peace in Somalia explores the legacies of past violence, especially impunity,
illegitimacy and exclusion, and the need for national reconciliation. Drawing on decades of experience and months of field research, the contributors throw light on diverse forms of local conflict, its interrelated causes, and what can be done about it. They share original research on the role of
women, men and youth in the conflict, and present new insight into Al-Shabaab--particularly the group's multi-dimensional strategy, the motivations of its fighters, their foreign links, and the prospects for engagement.

This ground-breaking volume illuminates the war in Somalia, and sets out what can and should be done to bring it to an end. For policymakers and researchers covering Somalia, East Africa, extremism or conflict resolution, this is a must-read.

Genres: Africa

480 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2019

About the author

Michael Keating is a political scientist specialising in nationalism, European politics, regional politics, and devolution. He is Professor of Scottish Politics at the University of Aberdeen and the Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed many of the papers in this book. Some were contradictory, and some seemed to have very small sample sizes from which they drew conclusions, but I did learn a lot about the variety of problems facing Somalia and some interesting proposed solutions. If this book had a detailed map it would have greatly improved my reading experience.