Loool at the video. Oil while a very transformative resource can be just as destructive as it is beneficial what with the resource curse, dutch disease and the rentier state. While the exploration phase is underway (which could take several years) I would advise people like our resident doctor to diversify and not put his eggs all in one basket, after all the situation in the country may be very different by the time the resource is ready for commercial production.

^^During my lurking days (when I wasn't registered) I do recall a person by the name of "Cowke" who claimed that the fighter jets of Puntland were ready to take out Somaliland (I'm stilling waiting for that to happen). I wouldn't be surprised if he and our resident Doctor are one and the same. With that being said I do hope that this forum remains a platform for debate and intelligent discussion and not a circus of trolls and bait setters...one can only hope. In the mean time I will try to resist the urge to feed the troll who started this thread.

Dr_Osman;790884 wrote: The sage, so it doesnt seam ironic to you that when jabuti minister is in garowe, the hargeisa boys cry for jabuti to send a delegation? the timing is just awful and its out of pure jealousy. They tried to get other nations to come to hargeisa but they just said no thanks were in garowe Are you even reading what you are posting? Either you are an amazing troll or you are deluded from your diehard pro PL stance. As I said before governments plan diplomatic exchanges well in advance. The SL government didn't "cry" for a delegation from Djibouti to visit because one was also visiting PL. It was almost certainly already expected to arrive and the fact that Djibouti also had officials in PL at the same time is a mere coincidence. These are governments we are talking about, not teenage girls. People do not formulate policy out of jealously but out of self interest. Also when you say "They tried to get other nations to come to hargeisa but they just said no thanks were in garowe" what are you talking about? Can you cite some sources? Or is this just more chest-beating for those who root for PL?

Dr_Osman;790605 wrote: Pathetic copy out of pure jealousy of the successes in politics of puntland, you will never be at this stage you in your whole history. you will just keep knocking on doors where noone answers You know that these diplomatic exchanges are planned weeks if not months in advance right? Besides how can Somaliland copy Puntland when it is Djibouti that is initiating the diplomatic visit by going to Hargeisa? I know you're a die hard PL supporter but it isn't the inventor/originator of everything. It didn't event diplomacy, nor oil exploration, sports tournaments or the concept of government programs (the health program you mentioned before). It's possible for two governments to engage in perfectly normal/mundane activities without copying one another because everyone engages in these activities.

^Please enlighten us with your several years of experience in architecture field. To critique such an ambitious project you must have designed dozens if not hundreds of buildings throughout your career. The project will certainly fill a much needed role in the arts and culture scene in the city, hopefully it will exceed the previous theater both aesthetically and culturally.

Somalia;773894 wrote: Man, I do not like the whole thing. Makes me sick each time I hear a child say "I am a Somalilander" Sounds like a pokemon or something. Yeah it's not like there are other countries who demonyms end in "lander"...oh wait there's several: -Icelander -New Zealander -Greenlander -Virgin Islander, Soloman Islander etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjectivals_and_demonyms_for_countries_and_nations It's actually a very common demonym for nationalities.

Che -Guevara;790217 wrote: ^You are assuming the world wants the Somali situation fixed. Ah. I guess the international community assumes that its naive to think they can solve the situation, but they're just naive enough to think a band-aid efforts will create the results they desire.

Great stuff

It would be foolish to leave Al Shabab to its own devices when the group is already at its death knell. If anything the international community should bolster the TFG with the resources it needs to finish them off. This is especially confusing when you consider that security is at the top of the agenda for the meeting.

ElPunto;789781 wrote: So who issues and manages the SL shilling if there was no central bank before now? . The Bank of Somaliland has been operating as the central bank of the country since 1994 and has been the sole issuer of the SL shilling. I believe the new law is a restructuring of the current central bank that brings it in line with international standards to facilitate the operation of commercial/foreign banking institutions.

Somalia;789792 wrote: It's just a white man speaking. Is that why it is legitimate for you? The British left 50 years ago and you still suffer from the Uncle Tom syndrome. So instead of dismissing the topic because a "white man" is speaking, do you have a logically constructed argument as to why the development of a private holding company is not news worthy? This a platform for discussion. If you want to troll go over to 4chan.

Vijaya Ramachandran Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development, World Bank This post was co-authored by Ross Thuotte. Last week, lawmakers in Somaliland (Somalia's northern, semi-autonomous region) reportedly established Somaliland's first central bank. The measure will pave the way for foreign commercial banks to start operating in Somaliland by 2013, providing much-needed financing support for Somaliland's private sector businesses. Simultaneously, the donor community (represented by multilateral institutions and both Danish and U.S. aid agencies) has expressed a strong interest in Somaliland. Two questions arise: How can international donors further support Somaliland's businesses and what can they learn from the parliament's new central bank? Somaliland claimed independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since formed its own parliament, government, schools, infrastructure, and health care systems. Certain sectors have flourished even in the vacuum of a strong central government presence, including telecommunications, mobile banking and money transfer services, and livestock trading. Despite Somalia's problems, Somaliland's private sector has grown and prospered. A 2010 CGD working paper highlighted how businesses made major contributions to Somaliland government and non-government institutions -- despite the lack of international intervention. But as the international community enters the scene, how can they most effectively support private sector businesses in Somaliland and relatedly, in other African fragile states? In a forthcoming report entitled "Supporting Private Business Growth in African Fragile States" we present a three-pronged framework to increase the effectiveness of private sector assistance in Africa's most challenging environments. The framework defines three criteria: -Identify and target the most severe constraints to business growth. In African fragile states, the most frequently cited constraints to businesses are electricity, roads, and access to finance. -Invest in sectors with proven track records. Successful sectors vary widely across African fragile states. -Align project goals with stated aims of the host government. Government priorities also vary widely, but often parallel the needs of private business. Applying this framework to Somaliland's central bank, we find that the parliament's intervention aligns with all three targets. The central bank will 1) help alleviate business' need for finance, 2) promote a successful sector via mobile banking and money transfer services, and 3) help achieve government priorities. The impact of the new central bank may already be evident -- investors are taking risks in Somaliland, and their actions can pay large dividends. Stay tuned! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vijaya-ramachandran/somaliland-central-bank_b_1273269.html

Yellow journalism at its finest (worst?)

So it seems that having access to Microsoft Paint is all one needs to become a legitimate governing entity...and here I thought it required public deliberation and consensus, institution building, a monopoly of force and administrating a designated area. Who knew?

I see the gong show still continues. I guess these diaspora communities have a lot more free time than I thought

This is an interesting case of the pot calling the kettle black. Somalia and more specifically the TFG/central government have repeatedly topped the list of most corrupt countries year after year. Yet you attempt to take the moral high ground? Give me a break. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/10/20101026213816364284.html http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/

[quote=Reer somalidiid when are they gonna stop committing genocide against innocent ppl? Easy there with the sensationalism. Do you really think the recent events qualify dropping the "G" word? The conflict is no where near the level of another Rwanda, Pol Pot, or even Srebrenica.What's going on is normally classified as a "low intensity conflict" by most experts. Are the deaths horrible and regrettable for both sides? Yes. But its not genocide. So let's try to hold back on the sensationalism.

This attack is almost definitely a reprisal attack for the capture of Atam's chief bomb maker. It seems that they are trying to portray themselves as still being a potent threat to PL in spite of their recent drawbacks. This man needs to be taken down asap.

Duly noted. I realize my efforts to raise the discourse above tit for tat punditry may be seen as a veiled attack on what many people on this forum stand for. Rest assured it is not and I'll see how long I can stay above the partisan attacks lol

^I for one am shocked lol

Although contentious, this article does bring up the important issue of the flourishing of organized crime within Somalia/Puntland's borders. Human trafficking out of Bosaso, the piracy epidemic, currency counterfeiting and drug running pose threats to societal welfare and regional security as a whole. The article maybe a bit dated but I think we can all agree that these problems still exist in varying degrees.

History is full of fascinating "what-ifs" as is the case with this revelation. Makes me wonder how this would have affected the events in the region had this agreement been unfolded. Ethiopia having a foothold on the red sea/gulf of aden could have proven to be a game changer.

It seems that some people welcome the establishment of clan states in other areas of the region but when they start forming inside Puntland's borders as is the case with West Puntland State and Raascasayr then they are admonished and deemed illegitimate. Interesting.

Duufaan;788818 wrote: You want be funny about this comparison. those kind of khat talk is a unhealthy He made a legitimate argumentative point. Do you have anything to refute or counter what he said or will you continue to dismiss his comments because you cannot articulate a logical response? The beauty and drawback of democracy is the fact that the decisions one makes have a signficant and lasting impact where the electorate must live with the decisions they make. Silanyo is becoming unpopular in some circles and he and his party will have to answer for his actions/policies in the next election.

These new clan states and micro fiefdoms that pop up every other week can only do two things: fatten the pockets of those involved and increase the likelihood of war between them. If this phenomenon continues I envision the region being fractured much like Europe until the 20thcentury, where dozens of countries, principalities, duchies, republics and city states are constantly in a state of war with each other. Reversing these developments are paramount for stability and the gains made (by all peoples) over the past few years are preserved