Daniel Ioselevich

Somalia, a heavily Muslim African country located in the 'Horn of Africa,' has been a country teetering on the brink of chaos and complete anarchy for the last 50 years. On July 1, 1960, Somalia offically became an independent nation with a transitional government after an extensive period under European colonialism, when the British ruled Somaliland Protectorate and Italian Somaliland were granted independence and then unified. However, instead of remaining a stable and unified country, Somalia has been divided and destroyed by powerful warlords, pirates along the coast, and severe famines and food shortages.

One of Somalia's main problems that has reoccurred several times is its claim to the Somali-populated regions of neighboring countries. This has been the crucial and main point of contention between Somalia's rulers and that of the neighboring regions. "Pan-Somali nationalism, with the goal of uniting the Somali-populated regions of French Somaliland (Djibouti), Kenya, and Ethiopia into a Greater Somalia remained the driving political ideology in the initial post-independence period." (state.gov) Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, the prime minister from 1967 to 1969, improved realtionships with neighboring regions but angered the Somali people and perhaps more importantly the military, which caused for his coup and allowing for Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre to assume control over Somalia. With Barre as the head of the Somali government, Somalia attacked the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, a region heavily populated by Somalis. Eventually a full-scale invasion of Ethiopia by the Somalis was undertaken, but it was ultimately defeated. This violent philiospohy in foreign affairs showed the ruthlessness of the Barre regime, and this ruthlessness soon shifted its attention to domestic affairs.

At the beginning of the 1980's, the Barre regime violently suppressed opposition movements and certain ethnic groups within Somalia. The internal struggle between the military and opposition groups had intensified into a full-scale civil war. President Barre eventually took the fighting to civilians as well. In one instance, aircraft from the Somali National Air Force bombed the city of Hargeisha, killing 10,000 people. The Barre regime was also looting the national treasury during this time, furthering the economic crisis caused by war. However, Barre's military might was starting to wane during the ladder part of the 1980's. In January 1991, Barre was driven into exile and the central government experienced a complete collapse. The years following the collapse of the Barre regime have been filled with warring Somali factions competing to gain extensive control. Because of the lack of a central authority within Somalia for the past 20 years, a power vacuum has been left and rival groups are waging war against each other. Countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, among others, have attempted to bring Somali factions together, but to little or no avail. Some notoriously extremist groups, such as Al-Shabaab, have been able to garner increasing power and influence with their effective fighting of the hated Ethiopians, intimidation, and implementation of shari'a law. However, Al-Shabaab is one of numerous competing factions in Somalia.

Somalia has also been known for its pirates that often capture Western ships and ask for ransoms. "Somali pirates seized a record 1,181 hostages in 2010, and were paid millions of dollars in ransom. "The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) considers the Somali coast to be the most dangerous stretch of water in the world." (A Guide to Somalia's Modern Day Pirates) These pirates hijack crews and vessels for ransom around the coastline surrounding Somalia. These Somali pirates use guns, RPG's, and small but quick motorboats to overwhelm other ships. Piracy is such a major part of the coastline in Somalia that some towns' economies are sustained by the feeding and housing the hostages. The instability and lack of governance in the region has certainly contributed to the growth of the piracy in the region. Due to some of the pirate policies, the region is even more dangerous to outsiders, especially Westerners.

Because of structural adjustment and a planned economy during the years of Barre's reign, Somalia became more and more dependent on foreign imported grain. "Combined with increased commercial imports, this influx of cheap surplus wheat and rice sold in the domestic market led to the displacement of local producers, as well as to a major shift in food consumption patterns to the detriment of traditional crops (maize and sorghum)." (Somalia: the Real Cause of Famine) Another important contributor to Somali famine was the devaluation of the Somali currency by the IMF. This led to price hikes in everything from drugs for cattle to the price of food itself. After the devaluation of the Somali currency, a private market for vetenary drugs was promoted. Remote pastoral areas suffered because of the lack vetenarians services that were supported by private sectors. Combine the privatization of animal health care and severe droughts, and the Somali cattles were decimated.

Somalia is an area where chaos can be bred. There is no central governing authority, a severe shortage of food and cattle, pirates capturing tourists and foreign people on the coast, and violent competing factions warring over control. The 50 years following Somali independence have made Somalia the decimated region it is today. Somalia is a country desperate for social, economic, and legislative stability, but it must find the answers to very complicated situation it faces today.