Publisher's Synopsis
This detailed analysis of the Somali tragedy addresses both the internal sources of the country's devastation and the external factors that served sometimes to exacerbate and sometimes to alleviate it.;Makinda explains how the segmented nature of Somali society, and especially the clan system, interacted with the centralised role of former President Siad Barre with disastrous results. He also discusses clan militias and the overall effects on society of the civil war. Though arguing that the end of the Cold War and the subsequent indifference of Western powers were crucial in the aggravation of the emerging anarchy, he points out that the US-led multinational forces and the UN peacekeeping troops have performed, and will continue to perform, a useful policing function, making the delivery of humanitarian supplies safe. Without the cosntruction of social, political and economic institutions on which peace can be anchored, however, international humanitarian efforts will have been wasted.;The book concludes with Makinda's assessment of the options for Somalia, suggesting how the international community can help Somalis to rebuild their society.
