National Security Dynamics in Somalia in the Post-Siad Barre Era

Master’s Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Africa, course: master of science in strategic studies, language: English, abstract: Somalia was one of the first states to crumble in the post-cold war era. This study seeks to explain the destruction of the Somali state from a security perspective, arguing that a plethora of factors including the political economy of class and regional dynamics underscored the dissolution of the Somali nation-state and that the emergence of political Islam to fill the political vacuum configured the pattern of security challenges facing the country. In doing so, this study utilizes the qualitative research design premised on the interview technique as the main data collection method. What is clear from this study is that to explain the destruction of Somalia and its security abyss we must probe deeper to uncover the points of fracture of the Somali social order, as well as external factors obscured by an emphasis on clan tensions by media and scholarly reportage. Hence, explaining Somalia’s dissolution and its attendant security challenges is a contribution to the ongoing project of theorizing the global disintegration of nation-states in the post-Cold War era. All things considered, it is hoped that this study will provide professionals and scholars insights on the challenges of African security in the Twenty-First century.