Overview

Fighting for Peace in Somalia provides the first comprehensive analysis of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), an operation deployed in 2007 to stabilize the country and defend its fledgling government from one of the world's deadliest militant organizations, Harakat al-Shabaab. The book's two parts provide a history of the mission from its genesis in an earlier, failed regional initiative in 2005 up to mid-2017, as well as an analysis of the mission's six most challenges, namely, logistics, security sector reform, civilian protection, strategic communications, stabilization, and developing a successful exit strategy. These issues are all central to the broader debates about how to design effective peace operations in Africa and beyond. AMISOM was remarkable in several respects: it would become the African Union's (AU) largest peace operation by a considerable margin deploying over 22,000 soldiers; it became the longest running mission under AU command and control, outlasting the nearest contender by over seven years; it also became the AU's most expensive operation, at its peak costing approximately US$1 billion per year; and, sadly, AMISOM became the AU's deadliest mission. Although often referred to as a peacekeeping operation, AMISOM's troops were given a range of daunting tasks that went well beyond the realm of peacekeeping, including VIP protection, war-fighting, counterinsurgency, stabilization, and state-building as well as supporting electoral processes and facilitating humanitarian assistance. Tana Forum Annual Book Launch 2019 Winner.

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9780191792182

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Reviews

Given his field research experience, extensive network of and unique access to practitioner experts, a decade-plus of monitoring peace operations across Africa, and record of academic publishing, Williams remains an authority on the sociopolitical dynamics of peace and stability operations in the Horn of Africa, and Fighting for Peace in Somalia is an achievement that will only serve to solidify this reputation. - Whitney Grespin, The Strategy Bridge In Fighting for Peace in Somalia, Paul Williams unpacks the complexities of Somalia in a clear and immensely readable book. He identifies uncomfortable lessons for the international community but also clear evidence-based recommendations for future peace operations. Williams presents a compelling and balanced assessment of the efforts of AMISOM and its myriad partners to establish and maintain peace across Somalia This is a must-read book for scholars of Somalia or peacekeeping, but also an engaging book for anyone with an interest in international relations and the challenges of delivering multilateral objectives in a truly challenging environment. - Stephen Cutts, Leader, UN Comprehensive Review of UNSOS 2018 The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is the AUs largest, most ambitious, most complex and most dangerous peace support operation. It has rivaled and often surpassed United Nations peace missions in size and challenges. Paul Williams has written a thorough, extremely detailed, comprehensive, balanced and thoughtful account of the mission. It is indispensible for any policymaker or scholar of Somalia, and a model for how academic analyses of peace operations should be written. - Alex de Waal, The World Peace Foundation Fighting for Peace in Somalia is an ambitious exploration of arguably the worlds most complexand most deadlypeace operation to date. [...It] will surely become an important resource for those studying the changing dynamics [of peace operations]. ... The books long-term legacy will likely be found in its fruitful analysis of whether AMISOM is a model the African Union should rely upon in the future. - Alexandria Reid, RUSI Journal This is an insightful, clinical analysis of AMISOMs first ten years of operations. The exceptional nature of the mission means that it is unlikely to be repeated, but Williams succeeds in his aim of providing important policy insights of potential use to whatever AU or UN peacekeeping missions are required in future. - Funmi Olonisakin, Survival

"""Given his field research experience, extensive network of and unique access to practitioner experts, a decade-plus of monitoring peace operations across Africa, and record of academic publishing, Williams remains an authority on the sociopolitical dynamics of peace and stability operations in the Horn of Africa, and Fighting for Peace in Somalia is an achievement that will only serve to solidify this reputation."" - Whitney Grespin, The Strategy Bridge ""In Fighting for Peace in Somalia, Paul Williams unpacks the complexities of Somalia in a clear and immensely readable book. He identifies uncomfortable lessons for the international community but also clear evidence-based recommendations for future peace operations. Williams presents a compelling and balanced assessment of the efforts of AMISOM and its myriad ""partners"" to establish and maintain peace across Somalia This is a must-read book for scholars of Somalia or peacekeeping, but also an engaging book for anyone with an interest in international relations and the challenges of delivering multilateral objectives in a truly challenging environment."" - Stephen Cutts, Leader, UN Comprehensive Review of UNSOS 2018 ""The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is the AUs largest, most ambitious, most complex and most dangerous peace support operation. It has rivaled and often surpassed United Nations peace missions in size and challenges. Paul Williams has written a thorough, extremely detailed, comprehensive, balanced and thoughtful account of the mission. It is indispensible for any policymaker or scholar of Somalia, and a model for how academic analyses of peace operations should be written."" - Alex de Waal, The World Peace Foundation ""Fighting for Peace in Somalia is an ambitious exploration of arguably the worlds most complexand most deadlypeace operation to date. [...It] will surely become an important resource for those studying the changing dynamics [of peace operations]. ... The books long-term legacy will likely be found in its fruitful analysis of whether AMISOM is a model the African Union should rely upon in the future."" - Alexandria Reid, RUSI Journal ""This is an insightful, clinical analysis of AMISOMs first ten years of operations. The exceptional nature of the mission means that it is unlikely to be repeated, but Williams succeeds in his aim of providing important policy insights of potential use to whatever AU or UN peacekeeping missions are required in future."" - Funmi Olonisakin, Survival"

Author Information

Paul D. Williams, Associate Professor, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University Paul D. Williams is Associate Professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. Dr Williams is also a Non-Resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute in New York where he manages the Providing for Peacekeeping Project. Between 2014-15, Dr Williams served as a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington DC. His publications include War and Conflict in Africa, Second Edition (Polity, 2016), Understanding Peacekeeping, Second Edition (Polity, 2010), and Providing Peacekeepers (co-edited with A.J. Bellamy, OUP, 2013).

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