The Collapse of the Somali State: The Impact of the Colonial Legacy

by Abdisalam Issa-Salwe

Like many African nations at the end of the 1980s, Somalia faced economic, social and political problems. Many of these countries were still struggling to survive the upheaval in this period, but Somalia could not solve its problems as a healthy nation. Instead the problems led to its disintegration and dismemberment in a bloody civil war roughly four fifths of its population displaced. These displaced people have lost their past and their future and that of their children. Subsequently, the country has been divided into fiefdoms ruled by separate armed clans. The political and economic systems collapsed. The human agony is beyond imagination. What caused this agony and the collapse of civil society? What were the forces which shaped it? Was it part of an inevitable evolutionary process? To what extent did the colonial partition contribute to the calamity? By examining the Somali politico-historical perspective, this book explores the impact of the colonial legacy on the political, social and economic life of the Somali nation, and posits that it is one of the main factors which led to the collapse of the modern Somali state in the early 1990s. It will also briefly consider some immediate post-collapse outcomes.
Abdisalam M. Issa-Salwe (PhD) is Somali scholar, researcher, lecturer, and author as well as celebrated veteran of Somali Studies. He is written, edited, many scholarly articles and books. Some of his published works ' The Collapse of the Somali The Impact of the Colonial Legacy (1996); ' Cold War Boundary Politics and Conflict in The Horn of Africa (2000); ' Oral Culture and Computer Mediated Social Dynamics of Mailing Lists (2010). He is currently Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Head of the Deanship of Curriculum Development. Dr Abdisalam is also Professor.

Genres: Somalia

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[creampuff]

Really great overview of the political history of Somalia! I recommend it to anyone starting off with getting to know about the history and politics of the country. I just really wish there were maps included to provide a visual about the regions the author talks about.

[Paul Andrus]

This is an analytical history book, not popular non-fiction. However, it tells the story of the last two Somalian collapses quite well. While it does not go into much detail about UNOSOM I, UNITAF, or UNOSOM II, it looks at those missions from the outside. It becomes quite clear why they were doomed from the start.

My only complaint is that Issa-Salwe uses many obscure geographical reverences, but provides with no maps. The geo refs are important to the story. For example, he tells us that the Somali-speaking people ranged from the Awash Valley, around the Ethiopian Highlands, and down the coast. I had a hard time finding the Awash Valley. But, knowing where it is helps explain why the Somalis went to war with the Ethiopians in 1977.

[Liam]

it's an informational book on the collapse of the Somali state and the impact of colonial legacy. Only criticism is that it only goes up to 1991, of course this can't be helped because it was published in 1991.

[Sirad]

Great book that explains why it is necessary to understand how it is that the United Nations made a grave mistake in its handling of the military insurgence of interim President Caadid and how UNISOM II was an unsuccessful UN initiative.