Uganda People's Defence Force under attack-- Somali militants against the offering of help to Somalis.

VIDEO- "An Uncertain Somalia"

Mohamed Aden returns to Adado, Somalia and brings some security and peace.

New York Times says different.. "the UN and Western countries are pumping in hundreds of millions of dollars for the government's security."

deserves more

Somalia deserves and NEEDS greater commitment and financial assistance from the United Nations!

hmmmmm

In our first weeks of Global Seminar we have read a whole lot on globalization and between all the articles I have noticed they deal with quite depressing theories. I can imagine America as this big bully of a country, beating up on the feeble looking developed countries while other only slightly smaller (like china) help push ‘em back down. America and those other strong bullies, with all their money/power, seem to be the ones globalizing the world and the little guys cant help but go along. To use their resources, and save some money for nothing but economic reasons- we have globalize the world and now problems are arising. Weak countries can barely get on their feet, and as we learned from several of the articles- they are being used. For economic reasons we have gotten involved overseas, and although it may seem as though we are “helping”, many of the countries and actually worse off and their cultures are slowly dying out. As countries, citizens, and environments become lost in the world markets dominated by big industries something is lost. Today everything is made into some type of product, that looses its character. Therefore, companies can get away with their destructive behavior without feeling guilty because all they feel is the joy as their transactions are only a matter of making money and seeing money. I mean, most people/ business men are not TRYING to use and destroy these peoples lives but it seems as though they are. Local economies and business can’t start because of the presence of larger stronger countrie’s companies from overseas. This destruction is happening, is justified because of the money making but why is the other stuff barely recognized? This leads me to my own topic under this dark light of globalization… With the collaboration of the world’s greatest powers, why has peace within Somali border not been reached? It does not make sense that with the so-called help from the USSR, United States, neighboring countries and the United Nations, has only crippled the Somali nation if intentions had been genuine and everything was done to resolve the crisis. Struggle is widespread, crime and starvation is common, and Somalia is still being torn apart by chaos. Leaders and coalitions have constantly been changing throughout Somalia’s history, however, the people remain and their struggles have only multiplied. Maybe Somalia and the rest of the world might just be better off without globalization?

a little bit of background

Somalia’s cultural and historical heritage has been deeply rooted with time; however, in the last several decades the country’s wellbeing has been greatly stained. The introduction of corrupt officials and foreign imposters has led the country into a devastating civil war based off years of destruction and instability. The conflict can be traced back to the Oagden War, a Somali effort to gain the Ogaden area of Ethiopia. This effort was an attempt to unify several territories under the Somali flag as the small country expanded their borders into neighboring Ethiopia. Somali’s conflict with Ethiopia occurred during the Cold War Era and after the USSR switched from aiding Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, the United States, who previously backed Ethiopia, began supplying aid to Somalia. Despite having support from the two greatest world powers, the Ogaden conflict ended without resolve and forces retreated across their respected borders. During the war, however, the US had supplied large amounts of weapons to the anti- communist government of Siad Barre. After the war these weapons went into circulation amongst rising factions all while the communist- backed Ethiopian government began supporting rebels in Somalia. The country was turning into a ticking time bomb during a time where support for Barre was crashing. Factions rose to take advantage of the chaos and weapons fell into the hands of different clans and their forces. The central government lost control and the country could not function. By the 90s, Siad Barre’s government’s only source of control was over Mogadishu which was eventually overthrown by rebels whose factions were continuing to split and threatening each other. Neighboring countries tried to lend a helping hand but the country was slipping too fast. By 1993, the United Nations and the US sent humanitarian troops overseas. During this time, two thirds of Somalia’s land had also been granted as oil concession which promptly rose some eyebrows towards the motivation behind these relief missions. Relief efforts did not, however, sufficiently reversed the chaos and violence occurring in Somalia. In 2004, the Translational Federal Government was installed by the UN but it quickly came head to head with old rising regimes. The Islamic Courts Union (ICU), funded by the US CIA, began consolidating power in 2006 and was able to capture Mogadishu in the Second Battle of Mogadishu against the Transitional Federal Government. The Ethiopian government, who once supported Somali rebels, now has joined the central government’s effort against the ICU. There is no longer a national government in Somalia. There are parts of the north that are currently relatively peaceful, including the self-declared "Republic of Somaliland,” however, factional fighting continues.

Globalization, scary!!

The globalization that is taking over our world is not some innocent phenomenon of modern fads or a movement that’s success is based on acceptance and flawlessness. Globalization is, however, a straightjacket that countries are forced to put on as they are basically held at gunpoint by the electric herd. Thomas Friedman paints globalization in this light, as countries everywhere are switching their political global sovereignty over to greater powers. Because of the switch from cold war politics to this new age of globalization, there no longer are power politics that dictate the world around and instead it is the market forces above politics that lead the way. This is scary, especially as Ferguson points out that we resemble the time 1880-1914 and could be headed for a similar crash. Today the markets are in control, “there is no one in charge”. Every country is forced to squeeze into the straitjacket and our world is now connected by each other’s fate. This makes for a vulnerably fragile world stage, and with any conflict that arises, another “crash” could easily come.

The World Food Program stops its humanitarian operations in Somalia

Mr. Mahbubani: Undermining the United States to Shift Power East

Kishore Mahbubani claims the United States is on the decline. He supports this assertion by explaining the United States has lacked sufficient leadership as a global power. The lack of leadership, Mahbubani highlights, is a result of the United States skewed self image of being “the source of all solutions”. This image has allowed the US to hold onto outdated positions and Mahbubani believes that the they have grown too stubborn to move over for “the Asian Century” . Despite his views on the United States’ irresponsible leadership over the last several decades, Mahbubani believes that strength within Western ideals have allowed other countries to rise. By implementing western principles of democracy through the premise of equality on the broad spectrum of the entire world, Mahbubani believes that social justice can finally be reached. The west has dominated too long and it is time for them to share their power with the rest of the world, Mahbubani sees this as the democratic solution to global issues. Mahbubani explains that the west must move over and accept “the fact that the asian states are becoming more competent at handling regional and global issues” and because they have failed to do so, “the west has gone from the world’s primary problem solver to being its single biggest liability”. Although his anti-western solution to global problems paints the United States in negative ways, Mahbubani has justified and illustrated claims against the US. He points out the United States failure in addressing has failed to address the Middle East conflict, nuclear proliferation limitations, stalled world trade and the global warming crisis. However, this evidence does not provide a strong enough base for the United States to hand over their power to the rest of the world. Mahbubani’s conclusion and key points are focused not on creating a more stable world, but rather he hopes to promote the rise of Asian nationalism. While undermining the US, Mahbubani creates an illusion that the only way to improve the united states’ relationship with the rest of the world is to hand over their power to the new era of Asian control who would provide a “more stable world order”. Though justified in his evaluation of the United State lack of success on the global level, Mahbubani key points are on bias terms and do not genuinely seek to improve the global condition but rather help shift power from the west into the hands of Asian states.

http://www.onlf.org/viewpage.php?page_id=29- Ethnic Ogaden fighters oppose and attack Somali regions

I JUST FOUND THIS

http://www.somalilandtimes.net/