Overview

This study explores the genesis of the civil war in Somalia by analysing the defeat of Somalia in the 1977 Ogaden war, asserting that this defeat, which was prompted by the intervention of the USSR, was a turning point which unleashed long term socio-political forces that led to the collapse of the central government of the country. Muuse Yuusuf analyses the history of the Somali civil war, from 1977 to the present, and the role played by various actors in the conflict such as local clans, warlords and foreign powers, and examines the present day by-products of the war, such as religious extremism. Crucially, Yuusuf looks beyond the mainstream explanation for the conflict – that of rival clans fighting over resources. By recognising the impact of foreign military interventions in Somalia, from superpower rivalry during the cold war to the war-on-terror, on the initiation and perpetuation of the Somali conflict, the book attempts to identify foreign military intervention as a new paradigm in the discourse around it.

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9780755627097

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Reviews

Somalia is a country with one people who speak one language, but which has all the same been wracked by wars and divisions. In this highly detailed account, Muuse Yuusuf tells the Somali story from the point of view of a Somali, looking outwards to the contribution that external powers made to the disintegration of his country. The careful detailing makes his account all the more moving and tragic. A highly important addition and corrective to our understanding of Somalia. * Stephen Chan OBE, SOAS University of London, UK *

Author Information

Muuse Yuusuf is a former member of UN staff, working with its international developmental programs in Somalia. He holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Kent, UK.

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