Since the fall of the Siad Bare regime in Somalia in 1991 and the fratricidal war that it unleashed in its wake, Somalia has been without an effective central government. Instead, warlords and their armed bandits have been controlling different parts of the country, with the former British colony of northern Somaliland unilaterally proclaiming its independence. Developments in the country since the recent transitional government was set up in 2004 have, however, presented both opportunities and challenges for the country. While much has been reported about the prevailing situation in the country, there has been a paucity of research articulating the various perspectives and challenges in the efforts to reconstitute Somalia's failed state. This book hopes to contribute in filling this gap. Contributors to the volume examine the various issues that lie behind the current situation in Somalia, seeking answers to a number of crucial questions: Why did the Somali state fail? What role did external actors and the internal configurations of the Somalis' socio-political structure play in the state collapse? Did the various peace and reconciliation conferences really achieve anything? Should Somalia be reconstituted as one state or should more than one state be allowed to emerge from the ashes of the collapsed state? What is the way forward out of the current imbroglio in Somalia? ________________________________________________________ Dr Abdulahi A. Osman currently teaches comparative politics and African politics at the Department of International Affairs and African Studies Institute, at the University of Georgia, USA. His teaching and research interests include African politics, governance, regional and international studies, peace and conflict, internal security and wars, comparative governments in the Third World. He has published several book chapters and articles in scholarly journals, including African Renaissance and Journal of Ethno-Development. Issaka K. Souare is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (Canada). A Contributing Editor to the London-based review journal, African Renaissance, he is the author of numerous publications relating to Africa, including Africa in the United Nations System, 1945-2005 (London, 2006); Civil Wars and Coups d'Etat in West Africa (Lanham, 2006), and the novel, Samassi (London, 2004).

Though there have been numerous studies on the United Nations, only a few have dealt comprehensively with Africa's relations with the world body. This book attempts to fill this lacuna by providing a systematic assessment of Africa's relationship with the World body, from its foundation in 1945 to its sixtieth anniversary in 2005. The premise of the book's argument is that to properly understand Africa's current relationship with the UN, it is necessary to first understand the history and theoretical underpinnings behind the formation of the world body, including the expectations and motives of the different stakeholders. The book shows that there have been some real successes in Africa's relationship with the world body - such as the joint efforts against the Apartheid regime in South Africa - as well as real failures - such as in the genocide in Rwanda. Based on this, it concludes that Africa's relationship with the United Nations has worked for the most part, and will work even better, if Africa sees its partnership with the UN as complementary to it own efforts, projects and initiatives rather than something to depend on. ___________________________ Issaka K. Souare works at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London. A Contributing Editor to the London-based review journal, African Renaissance, he is the author of numerous articles relating to Africa. His most recent publications have addressed Franco-Africa relations, human rights, conflict resolutions, economic development and regional integration in Africa. He is also the author of Civil Wars and Coups d'Etat in West Africa: An Attempt to Understand the Roots and Prescribe Possible Solutions (2006), and the novel, Samassi (2004). Category: politics ISBN:1905068352 Price: 45 (hard back) Publication date: June 2006

Working from a thematic, empirical-analytical approach, this work surveys the root causes of civil wars and military coups d'etat in West Africa, analyzes the implications for the region as a whole, and identifies possible solutions to these armed conflicts.

Since the fall of the Siad Bare regime in Somalia in 1991 and the fratricidal war that it unleashed in its wake, Somalia has been without an effective central government. Instead, warlords and their armed bandits have been controlling different parts of the country, with the former British colony of northern Somaliland unilaterally proclaiming its independence. Developments in the country since the recent transitional government was set up in 2004 have, however, presented both opportunities and challenges for the country. While much has been reported about the prevailing situation in the country, there has been a paucity of research articulating the various perspectives and challenges in the efforts to reconstitute Somalia's failed state. This book hopes to contribute in filling this gap. Contributors to the volume examine the various issues that lie behind the current situation in Somalia, seeking answers to a number of crucial questions: Why did the Somali state fail? What role did external actors and the internal configurations of the Somalis' socio-political structure play in the state collapse? Did the various peace and reconciliation conferences really achieve anything? Should Somalia be reconstituted as one state or should more than one state be allowed to emerge from the ashes of the collapsed state? What is the way forward out of the current imbroglio in Somalia? ________________________________________________________ Dr Abdulahi A. Osman currently teaches comparative politics and African politics at the Department of International Affairs and African Studies Institute, at the University of Georgia, USA. His teaching and research interests include African politics, governance, regional and international studies, peace and conflict, internal security and wars, comparative governments in the Third World. He has published several book chapters and articles in scholarly journals, including African Renaissance and Journal of Ethno-Development. Issaka K. Souare is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (Canada). A Contributing Editor to the London-based review journal, African Renaissance, he is the author of numerous publications relating to Africa, including Africa in the United Nations System, 1945-2005 (London, 2006); Civil Wars and Coups d'Etat in West Africa (Lanham, 2006), and the novel, Samassi (London, 2004).

Samassi, a young man from one of the French-speaking African countries, secures a scholarship to study in London. Midway through his English language course his scholarship is withdrawn, forcing him to take up jobs to support himself. He graduates and eventually secures a good job -- after several futile attempts. the more he climbs the corporate ladder, the more he feels out of place. Convinced that his rightful place is in Africa, Samassi returns to live in neighbouring Senegal only to find himself in deep trouble, accused of murder, just a few months after his return. a fragmented and disjointed narrative style to capture the cadences of modern life in London, as seen by Africans.