Given rise to the recent outbursts of famine and conflicts in multiple locations in Somalia, over one hundred thousand Somalis are in urgent need of humanitarian help. Although there have been progresses in the domestic stability under international influence, the condition in Somalia is still far from optimism. Therefore, I’m proposing a long-term plan to establish economically stabilized regions. The funding of initiation is estimated to be around 100 million dollars. After the establishment of the regions with restored agriculture, fishery and small local businesses around the country, a national network will form, drawing more people surrounding the regions with increasing scale of influences.
Somalia has been in the anarchical state since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991. In the 1990s, some foreign boats started to fish illegally near the Somali shores, some pouring toxic waste into the water. By the end of the 1990s. local fishermen and soldiers formed the Somali costal guards to drive away or detain illegal boats. It soon turned into piracy by some of the fishermen. Such civil forces became a major source of disturbance in Somalia. In addition, there are two other forces trying to take over the country, one is a transitional government supported by international powers, the other is the increasingly ambitious Islamic courts. The difficulty of centralization also originates from the local customs, where no law is made and enforced by the government. Instead, Somalis follow a custom law named “Xeer”.
Although the primitive factors seem like anarchism, they are important in shaping the social structure of Somalia. Therefore, many of the previous interventions should own their failures to the lack of understanding and respect for the local traditional and the rush into establishing something entirely new. Although it is imperative to solve the pressing issue of famine before its expansion, a more sustainable plan should be developed so that Somali people can benefit from the project continuously.
Different from previous attempts to solve the problem at one shot with a centralized government, this proposal approaches the problem by breaking the nation into different areas and selection of the relatively stable areas for economic development. Based on the previous failures, the focus of the new project would be on the restoration of local economy instead of going against the customs and promoting “modern” values when the Somalia people are not ready for them. The key to solving the problems in Somalia is by peace and development, which should be supported by the local economy, not politics. Firstly, restoration of the local fishery is important, with the help of the funding. Coastline patrolling should also be established so that the fishermen can be safe in the waters. It will not only return the livelihood to the fishermen, but also effectively prevent them from being involved in illegal actions. The supply of international aid in recent years has significantly weakened the agriculture sector of Somalia. Such situations need to be changed by helping the farmers return to farming, instead of simply giving them food. In addition to agriculture and fishery, small private businesses should also be encouraged to increase the diversity of the economy. Although some of the areas in the project are not fully controlled by the central government, the most important thing is a comprehensive and stable social structure, so that the economy development can go undisturbed. It is also important to minimize the jurisdiction of foreign powers over the local affairs, to minimize the animosity of the Somalis against humanitarian workers. The UN peace corps can be helpful in securing the areas from outside power struggles.
Although commonly perceived as a primitive society with no inhabitable environment, there are still positive points in Somalia, including highly develop traditional laws in place of modern laws, and effective community mediating to resolve conflicts. The number of enrollment into primary schools has also boomed in recent years, which are all promising signs for the future of the country. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the international community to lend a helping hand. The Somalis are needing help right now, and without timely efforts by the UN and other humanitarian organizations, thousands of people would die of starvation or violence. The failures of intervention have proven that a singular approach is ineffective in solving the problems in Somalia. Both the USA and Britain have realized that and begun to adjust their policies in Somalia with a “dual track” approach. Building on such ideas differentiating the stable and unstable regions, the new policy of the UN should focus on the economy aspects and try to achieve a network effect that can positively influence the unstable areas in the future. The priority of Somalia is not a centralized government, but a healthy economy with the domestic demands adequately met. The political system in Somalia may not be mature, but the international society should be patient and give it time for development, instead of putting pressure on the country to mimic the ideologies of the developed world. Given rise to the recent outbursts of famine and conflicts in multiple locations in Somalia, over one hundred thousand Somalis are in urgent need of humanitarian help. Although there have been progresses in the domestic stability under international influence, the condition in Somalia is still far from optimism. Therefore, I’m proposing a long-term plan to establish economically stabilized regions. The funding of initiation is estimated to be around 100 million dollars. After the establishment of the regions with restored agriculture, fishery and small local businesses around the country, a national network will form, drawing more people surrounding the regions with increasing scale of influences.
Somalia has been in the anarchical state since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991. In the 1990s, some foreign boats started to fish illegally near the Somali shores, some pouring toxic waste into the water. By the end of the 1990s. local fishermen and soldiers formed the Somali costal guards to drive away or detain illegal boats. It soon turned into piracy by some of the fishermen. Such civil forces became a major source of disturbance in Somalia. In addition, there are two other forces trying to take over the country, one is a transitional government supported by international powers, the other is the increasingly ambitious Islamic courts. The difficulty of centralization also originates from the local customs, where no law is made and enforced by the government. Instead, Somalis follow a custom law named “Xeer”. Although the primitive factors seem like anarchism, they are important in shaping the social structure of Somalia. Therefore, many of the previous interventions should own their failures to the lack of understanding and respect for the local traditional and the rush into establishing something entirely new. Although it is imperative to solve the pressing issue of famine before its expansion, a more sustainable plan should be developed so that Somali people can benefit from the project continuously.
Different from previous attempts to solve the problem at one shot with a centralized government, this proposal approaches the problem by breaking the nation into different areas and selection of the relatively stable areas for economic development. Based on the previous failures, the focus of the new project would be on the restoration of local economy instead of going against the customs and promoting “modern” values when the Somalia people are not ready for them. The key to solving the problems in Somalia is by peace and development, which should be supported by the local economy, not politics. Firstly, restoration of the local fishery is important, with the help of the funding. Coastline patrolling should also be established so that the fishermen can be safe in the waters. It will not only return the livelihood to the fishermen, but also effectively prevent them from being involved in illegal actions. The supply of international aid in recent years has significantly weakened the agriculture sector of Somalia. Such situations need to be changed by helping the farmers return to farming, instead of simply giving them food. In addition to agriculture and fishery, small private businesses should also be encouraged to increase the diversity of the economy. Although some of the areas in the project are not fully controlled by the central government, the most important thing is a comprehensive and stable social structure, so that the economy development can go undisturbed. It is also important to minimize the jurisdiction of foreign powers over the local affairs, to minimize the animosity of the Somalis against humanitarian workers. The UN peace corps can be helpful in securing the areas from outside power struggles.
Although commonly perceived as a primitive society with no inhabitable environment, there are still positive points in Somalia, including highly develop traditional laws in place of modern laws, and effective community mediating to resolve conflicts. The number of enrollment into primary schools has also boomed in recent years, which are all promising signs for the future of the country. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the international community to lend a helping hand. The Somalis are needing help right now, and without timely efforts by the UN and other humanitarian organizations, thousands of people would die of starvation or violence. The failures of intervention have proven that a singular approach is ineffective in solving the problems in Somalia. Both the USA and Britain have realized that and begun to adjust their policies in Somalia with a “dual track” approach. Building on such ideas differentiating the stable and unstable regions, the new policy of the UN should focus on the economy aspects and try to achieve a network effect that can positively influence the unstable areas in the future. The priority of Somalia is not a centralized government, but a healthy economy with the domestic demands adequately met. The political system in Somalia may not be mature, but the international society should be patient and give it time for development, instead of putting pressure on the country to mimic the ideologies of the developed world.