Whatever else has been said about Somalia during the past 14 years of unrestrained chaos—failed state and such—there is no denying that the nation has refused to die at the call and beckoning of its detractors.   This feat is a remarkable triumph and it's in large measure attributable to the resilience of the Somali people.   Their quiet determination, under exceedingly difficult circumstances, has effectively served notice that Somalis would not relinquish their birthright to live as a unique and worthy society among the community of nations.

At the present time, the nation is going through a bumpy, transitional period. There are signs of real progress being achieved, including the institution of a broad based Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that is painstaking putting together a national agenda.   There have also been few setbacks.   The Warlord's on-going campaign to actively derail the newly installed FTG is a case in point.     Whether they are ensconced in luxury hotels abroad or scheming at their respective enclaves in and around the historic national capital, Mogadishu, these faction leaders seem to be dead set on waging a last ditch effort to maintain the status quo.   What they should be doing instead is to resolve to become full participants with the TFG in reestablishing the Somali state.   Considering the alternative, their best approach would be to partner with the government's program to secure the peace and empower Somalis to lead sustainable social development in all parts of the country.  

The example of the warlords' intransigence, however, is the exception that proves the rule.   The swearing in of a broad-based government by the Transitional Parliament some months ago has shown the true character of the nation as a whole.   With that grand gesture, Somalis have put those who may be slow to realize that the horror-filled period of mindless brutality is fast coming to a close with a whimper. That is perhaps why some warlords, who are unencumbered by reason are futilely continuing to cry wolf about diversionary, side issues that would not stand up to serious scrutiny.

The End of Warlordism!

Faced with the prospect of fading political fortunes, several faction leaders are being torn between two diametrically opposed impulses to: 1) position themselves as indispensable power brokers in Somali polity, and 2) act as spoilers, hell-bent on wrecking the fledgling agenda of the TFG.   The outcome of the struggle concerning that internal conflict is murky at best.   Because some of these faction leaders seem to be undecided as to whether they should be loyal opposition or agitators, who would not hesitate to use violence to achieve narrow political ends.   Their view of democracy is a process by which people choose the man who will get the blame.  

The incongruence does not end there.    The philosopher Thomas Paine once said, “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good”.   This is a far cry from the mind-set of Somalia 's notorious warlords.   Their stewardship of land under their purview, including parts of Mogadishu —once the pearl of the Indian Ocean —has been atrocious; their treatment of those unfortunate Somalis who were caught under their yoke has been barbaric.   That is why they have lost the popular support that they enjoyed during the early days of the civil war and subsequently the struggle for political power.   

Still, the warlords should be encouraged to change their way of life for the better and act responsibly.   Along with other Somalis they have, like it or not, the responsibility to help make the country a better place than they found it.   They owe it to all those who struggled over the many centuries so that Somalis, irrespective of clan origin or regional affiliation, can live as free men and women sharing culture and bedrock values.   This is not the same as expecting the warlords to suddenly embrace the universal truths of sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom and charity.   All they need to do is not to get in the way of the rest of the Somalis, who set their sights on enjoying God-given peace and freedom.

Many Challenges Await the TFG

A sticky situation of a different sort is facing the political class that is supporting the TFG.   After the current row with the warlords passes, as it inevitably will, the daunting challenge of organizing a dynamic, free society will remain.   The readily available reflexive retort to this dilemma is to invoke the term “ democracy”, as though it was a magic wand.   The reality is that jaded Somalis would only embrace the democratic model if it introduces genuine self-government befitting an egalitarian society.  

This means democracy in the clan-obsessed Somalia should also be approached as an integral part of a strategically sound national policy predicated on promoting the culture of enlightened self-interest.    At minimum, the new federalism should take a page or two from the more successful nations that, through federalism, were able to sew together disparate communities into a well integrated mosaic.   Thus radical decentralization should be considered a requisite action item to empower local communities and, equally important, to curb the power and the reach of the federal government (which, if left to its own devices, would continually expand its authority at the expense of the supposedly autonomous regions.)   To this end, the TFG would do well to give its full attention to keeping the peace, while being mindful of the general welfare in the least intrusive manner possible.  

The foregoing proposition may not be easy to carry out but in many well be indispensable.   Formulating and implement a strategic plan regarding the creation of a successful federal state in the Somali peninsula, on the ashes of the failed one, is not a challenge for the faint of heart.   Such an undertaking requires nothing less than inspiring a nation that nearly unraveled, due to run away factionalism to once again accept and celebrate its heritage and the common destiny of its people.   A vision based on vague nationalism alone, however well intentioned, is not going to do the trick.

Here, it is important to note that the present era of hyper nationalism is a European phenomenon that burst into the world scene in the 1700s.   Prior to that period, patriotism was synonymous with the love of country rooted in the appreciation for the people and their culture, the physical beauty of the landscape, customs, etc.   With the advent of the prevailing nationalism on steroids, however, there developed a sense of belonging amongst the citizenry, which is increasingly reliant on ideology—not just shared values or culture—as the glue that binds the people of a modern nation together.

In the forty five (45) years since decolonization, Somali leaders of all stripes have not demonstrated the forethought to develop a genuine, principle-based governmental system to guide the nation beyond social strictures imposed by the excesses of neo-clanism of the urban elite.   The warlords' 14-year crime spree is but the latest and most ugly manifestation of a rotten deal that existed for decades.

An Outlook on the New Federalism

While the TFG is poised to bring sunshine into the deep, dark crevasses of the disgraceful world of factionalism, its progenitor, neo-clanism, will not die until and unless well crafted constitutions that drip with lofty words is brought to life through sustained examples of good governance to include:

•  Performing public affairs duties in accordance with democratic ideals in transparent manner.

•  Institutionalizing the values of equal justice under the law.

•  Practicing equal opportunity for all citizens regardless of clan or regional affiliation.

•  Protecting the rights of all citizens, especially the minority communities.

•  Combating all forms of corrupt practices, big and small.

•  Adhering what is best in the immutable laws whence our shared values spring.

On paper, even the faction leaders are not opposed to democracy or federalism.   It is the prospect of implementing a prototype federal state that gives them pause, if not hysterics. The TFG, for its part, is duty bound to observe the first and only object of a good government: to safeguard life and promote the general welfare.   Ostensibly, this puts a couple of faction leaders and the TFG on a collision course.   This course of action, though, is altogether avoidable.   The more superior option would be for both parties to cooperate in the cause of the common, national interest as articulated by the legitimate, democratically elected government.

Real cooperation around such well articulated national agenda can bring about a win-win situation.   For such national agenda to succeed beyond doubt, however, it will have to necessarily reflect the interests of all Somali communities and individual citizens. This suggests that the levers of power will work for them irrespective of their clan and regional origin.   In deed it would take that level of commitment to build a truly free society that makes the most of the storied cultural cohesion upon which Somali unity rests.   The nation deserves nothing less!

  Ali A. Fatah

Washington , DC

AMakhiri@aol.com

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