Let me see if I get this right! Abtigiis forecasted the departure of Jigjiga strongman Iley and you are saying that forecast did not come to pass (at least officially), right? So what? That's flimsy charge, methinks .

Abwaan awoowe Madexweynaha space sii oo ka daa dacayaada inadeer. Remember admin has changed in Addis. Our man in Mogadishu is keeping his enemies closer. It is a cunning move -- I hope. We'll make a noise (what else can we do ) if and when he forsakes Somalia's territorial integrity. For now as Jefferson would say "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." let him make as many moves as he can master.

Jacphar where is the source Good for them. Now Palestine is a recognized "country" under occupation. Still they are up against Goliath.

^Noted . It does not take much to disappoint you

Squaring the circle By Inna Kaadi Najaasle The issue of Kismayo and Jubba is back on the spotlight. The region in general and the port city of Kismayo in particular has seen many misfortunes – unrest, intractable clannish and sectarian wars, famine, etc. There is yet another wave of misfortune on the horizon if the tense political wrangling now underway left unchecked. The city like the nation’s capital is an urban center and hub for the wider region. Region’s livestock traders, textile merchants, construction material sellers and commodity haulers in far away periphery towns in Garbahaareey, Bu’aale and Xaggar districts and all towns in between rely on Kismayo port for all their business. Kismayo is not that different from Berbera and Bossasso ports in terms of its economic significance to the region it serves. The trucks travelling in the narrow, poorly constructed and neglected roads that snake through the vast region of Gannaane run on diesel and gas imported through the port. The sugar, flour, rice, tea, and kerosene -- the very basic and everyday necessities -- come through the port. In the event of dispute or war where port has to be closed the price of all imported goods quadruple throughout the region. Goods flow through Benadir, Mandera town (taxed goods) of Kenya and in some extreme cases far away Bossasso. As you can see when port is not functioning -- distance, labor, storage (warehouses along the road), tax (Kenya), and transportation are cost adders. It’s no wonder that politicians and generals recruit militia from all the corners of the region and bring them to the city and its surroundings to make a play for control of its port. If the port is this important for all sides concerned why is it difficult to reach an amicable agreement that satisfy all interest groups? Good question. The trouble with this question is that it assumes that factions involved acknowledge the legitimacy of other faction’s right to lay claim in the city or the port. Two factions see folks from Gedo as newcomers and see them as aliens in the scheme of clan composition of the city and its surroundings. Within the two factions one claims the city as their own and the other disputes that claim on the basis of demographics and cites district allocation within Kismayo itself as evidence of their argument. Gedo folks on their part acknowledge the claim but strongly cite agreements reached in early nineties when defending the city from Aideed forces were paramount. Because of that agreement – collective ownership – Gedo folks took lion share in the defense of the city and lost many of its men in the process. Other stakeholders including minorities are non-players due to absence of military muscle and willing young fighting men. However their stake as residents of the region is undisputed. Juxtapose the dependency of the port by all sides for their business and to some extent the quality of their lives with federalism vs. central republic debate at national level. If that’s not enough headache add the insecurity neighboring states feel about AS and its constant incursions to their territory to the mix. It is not an easy problem to solve. If one focuses on local conflict and neglect national uneasiness of certain clans getting a huge territory under their territory one may overplay one’s hand and risk a push back that may drag the recent political gains in Mogadishu to the trash pin. The same is true with foreign interest in the regions and overwhelming influence they wield at their disposal. In this case Kenyan’s reassured Ethiopians who were shoring up Gedo folks that the region will be tamed and will not serve separatists interests. So how do you square this circle? Appease Kenyans and their newly found allies and deny other stakeholders’ claim and force them to tow the line? Stir the nationalistic fervor and push Kenyans around? Draw a line and stop flowering clannish fiefdoms at their track and impose dictats from Villa Somalia? Slice and dice the pie and meet all interest groups at half way? I for one favor the latter for now. There is always tomorrow and as we’ve seen things may change for the better. Squaring the circle is not an easy exercise after all.

I take it farther and dare say there is bid of Kansas syndrome in the mix Leadership is a problem but they somewhat reflect the will of the folks who support them. There is a possibility that unemployed poor father with eight kids and three wives would forsake stability in support of perceived and nominal political dividend for his clan. If you haven't had the chance to read Thomas Frank's fascinating book "What's the matter with Kansas" I recommend you to check it out and see if you can draw parallels with our situation.

^ Don't despair awoowe and welcome the rough and tumble clannish politics of the region. Whoever you support -- if you do support any of the contestants that is -- the chances are their militia received the support of either Ethiopia or Kenya. Not to mention they formed alliances (militia) with outside clans to consolidate their hold on the port. Col. Jees reached out to Col. Aiydeed and then finacier Caato for support in a bid to oust Gen. Morgan. Col. Hiiraale went farther and formed an alliance with AbdiQasim and et al in the so called Walaalaha Galgaduud. There is only one faction who find themselves at the receiving end of all these shifting alliances! Care to know why?

The reason is the machinery of the state is not in place yet. There are no state per se and the one in the works is missing the shaft, bearings and the fuel. Once the government gets its groove on then you will see some of the ducks getting in a row. You may recall when Inna Yussuf was the resident of Villa Somalia, he used to get a percentage of Bossasso port revenue. His predecessor Sherrif didn't had the luxury to count on that loyalty and support. Reason being he hailed from opposing clan. The Somali civil war has not been conclusively settled yet you see. Federal Government will be in a position to collect tax revenue when the laws that govern the relationship of the center-prephery are defined, agency that are charged to cary out tax collection is put in place and the roles of district, counties, and towns in both provincial and federal level are clarified. Awoowe we are on the way and insha Allah we'll get there. Just be realistic and expect couple of pumpss on the road. Remember we are in for a great political experimentation the likes of which Somalis have never seen before. It will certainly be trail and error, fumble, pick yourself up and dust off and get back to the saddle kind of thing. All these terms thrown around mean something -- regional autonomy, central state, Republic, union, federalism, etc. Each of these roads will lead you to Benadir but may take different road.

I saw the movie one week ago. It's a great movie. Impressive cast & characters as well especially the ones played by Daniel Day-Lweis (Lincoln) and Tommy Lee Jones (Stevens). Of course the subject, era and historical actors portrayed in the movie are not as simple as director made them out to be. That being said, the movie shows how the political compromise can shape and even settle the great issues of an era. On the other hand American civil war as tragic as it was settled the issue of slavery and by extension brought the confederates back to the fold. I couldn't helped but imagine our own version of "Lincoln". But then I realized that the culture and institutions of 1800s America were far more advanced than the ones in present day Somalia. Back then confederate leadership were smart enough to surrender when they realized they were outgunned and the Lincoln administration were wise enough to not humiliate them. I post this article because I agree with Mr. Brooks that politics is not always a dirty profession. There are times when politics and its practitioners can rise to the occasion and settle the great questions through compromise.

By DAVID BROOKS Published: November 22, 2012 We live in an anti-political moment, when many people — young people especially — think politics is a low, nasty, corrupt and usually fruitless business. It’s much nobler to do community service or just avoid all that putrid noise. I hope everybody who shares this anti-political mood will go out to see “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner. The movie portrays the nobility of politics in exactly the right way. It shows that you can do more good in politics than in any other sphere. You can end slavery, open opportunity and fight poverty. But you can achieve these things only if you are willing to stain your own character in order to serve others — if you are willing to bamboozle, trim, compromise and be slippery and hypocritical. The challenge of politics lies precisely in the marriage of high vision and low cunning. Spielberg’s “Lincoln” gets this point. The hero has a high moral vision, but he also has the courage to take morally hazardous action in order to make that vision a reality. To lead his country through a war, to finagle his ideas through Congress, Lincoln feels compelled to ignore court decisions, dole out patronage, play legalistic games, deceive his supporters and accept the fact that every time he addresses one problem he ends up creating others down the road. Politics is noble because it involves personal compromise for the public good. This is a self-restrained movie that celebrates people who are prudent, self-disciplined, ambitious and tough enough to do that work. The movie also illustrates another thing: that politics is the best place to develop the highest virtues. Politics involves such a perilous stream of character tests: how low can you stoop to conquer without destroying yourself; when should you be loyal to your team and when should you break from it; how do you wrestle with the temptations of fame — that the people who can practice it and remain intact, like Lincoln, Washington or Churchill, are incredibly impressive. The movie shows a character-building trajectory, common among great politicians, which you might call the trajectory from the Gettysburg Address to the Second Inaugural. In the Gettysburg phase, a leader expresses grand ideas. This, frankly, is relatively easy. Lots of people embrace grand ideals or all-explaining ideologies. But satisfied with that they become morally infantile. They refuse to compromise, insult their opponents and isolate themselves on the perch of their own solipsism. But a politician like Lincoln takes the next step in the trajectory. He has to deal with other people. Spielberg’s “Lincoln” does a nice job celebrating an underappreciated art, the art of legislating. The movie is about pushing the 13th Amendment through the House of Representatives. The political operatives Lincoln hires must pay acute attention to the individual congressmen in order to figure out which can be appealed to through the heart and which through the wallet. Lincoln plays each potential convert like a musical instrument, appealing to one man’s sense of idealism, another’s fraternal loyalty. His toughest job is to get the true believers on his own side to suppress themselves, to say things they don’t believe in order not to offend the waverers who are needed to get the amendment passed. That leads to the next step in the character-building trajectory, what you might call the loneliness of command. Toward the end of the civil war, Lincoln had to choose between two rival goods, immediate peace and the definitive end of slavery. He had to scuttle a peace process that would have saved thousands of lives in order to achieve a larger objective. He had to discern the core good, legal equality, among a flurry of other issues. He had to use a constant stream of words, stories, allusions and arguments to cajole people. He had to live with a crowd of supplicants forever wanting things at the door without feeling haughty or superior to them. If anything, the movie understates how hard politics can be. The moral issue here is a relatively clean one: slavery or no slavery. Most issues are not that simple. The bill in question here is a constitutional amendment. There’s no question of changing this or that subsection and then wondering how much you’ve destroyed the whole package. Politicians who can navigate such challenges really do emerge with the sort of impressive weight expressed in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural. It’s a speech that acknowledges that there is moral ambiguity on both sides. It’s a speech in which Lincoln, in the midst of the fray, is able to take a vantage point above it, embodying a tragic and biblical perspective on human affairs. Lincoln’s wisdom emerges precisely from the fact that he’s damaged goods. Politics doesn’t produce many Lincolns, but it does produce some impressive people, and sometimes, great results. Take a few hours from the mall. See the movie. A version of this op-ed appeared in print on November 23, 2012, on page A35 of the New York edition with the headline: Why We Love Politics. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/opinion/brooks-why-we-love-politics.html?ref=davidbrooks

I don't know about that. You might be right. Even though I think 60s era folks were more nationalistic and love of country were in their DNA. What I was getting at is horse-trading politiking known for democracies everywhere where all politics are local and reps fight for their districts bringing home pork and so on. The difference here is clans are the basis of representation. Parliamentrains represent their sub-clan not the district they hail from. The checks and balances here is folks at the top to get their way they have to satisfy plurality of interests or else they will fail. The point is democracy is messy and folks will air their views loudly and they will declare so and so is outlier. It can get nasty. I would rather have this than repeat of the civil war.

Folks have every right to oppose the current admin in Benadir. However make no mistake Kenya is not doing any favors when it treats the region as a buffer zone for its national security (and its tourism industry). Today Kenya puts its boys in harms way not to help Somalia or Ras Kambooni faction (out of many local clan factions) or restore order in choatic south but to pacify its northern border by helping defeat AS and installing a dependable ally like Col. Madoobe and his cohorts (even risking offending its ally Ethiopia). Doing so will allow Kibaki to have a proxy control of much of the demarcated buffer zone. The President is doing a favor for all Somalis to stand strong against Kenya's interferences. I take many SOL nomads support him in this regard. However, the president is making a mistake (a huge mistake) if he takes sides in this local conflict. It is one thing to oppose Kenyan interference and quite another to support one side of the querraling factions and tilt the ballance in one faction's favor. From partisan point of view one understands why he may be tempted to go down on that road. But he will lose both face and credibility and if recent history is any guide Col. Madoobe and his allies in the region will hold hand with Kibaki and take calls from Nairobi as long as Nairobi stands with him. This formula of leveraging regional powers against opposing local clan factions is a formula perfected by Puntland and Somaliland. It amkes sense from clan point of view. However it spells disaster for forming a national and inclusive government strong enough to take back control of its borders.

Retail politiking is on display. Awoowe this is political era of 1960-69 on steroids. The top cats have to satisfy competing clan interests or else their agenda will go nowhere. Not bad at all given the other option where gun-toting warlords field hundreds of boys in their twenties to make a point. Democracy is oftem messy and when clannish retail politiking gets hold of the driving seat it becomes almost hopeless.

War heedhe Xiinka aad quote-garaysay waxuu ka hadlay iyo halka aad la aaday is ma leh! Awoowe adoo raali ah bal ku yara noqo. Waa runtaa oo dowladu ma hana-qaadin wali. Misana waa runtaa oo dagaalkii ahliga in laga gubdaa kharku ku jiraa. Waa runtaa oo gobolku waa 10 million buu ka badan yahay. Intabu waa run. Balse hawsha miiska saaran waa sadex ciidan baa goob wada jooga. Islama socdaan. Qaar waa xulufo, badhna command & control bay wadaagaan. Rag baa wax qaybsanaya, waa isku jiffo, waxbay rabaan inay gaar u riixdaan. Iyagga qudhoodu heshiis ma aha misanna waxa u muuqdaa qaar kale oo aysan isku hayb iyo interest ahayn. Talo, go'aan iyo guddoon intaba waxa laga dhowrayaa madaxweynaha iyo resul wasaarihiisa. Haddii uu madaxweynuhu ka hor yimaado nimankan doonaya inay nidaam hoose sameystaan, qaabka iyo hannaanka ay u sameysanayaa iyo sida ay wax u qaybsanayaana u madax banaanadaan hadde su'aasha Xiin iyo Mukhtaar baa messha soo galeysa? Waxa imanaysa awoowe nidaamka kaa dhigay madaxweyne miyaad wax ka badaleysa after the fact. Taa waa qodob! Kan kale waxa weeye maxay tahay sharciga Somaliland, Puntland iyo Galmudug u ogolaaday in ay xaafadooda si hoose u maareeyaan una maamushaan oo u diidaya xaafada Jubba inay sidoo kale ay u madax banaanaadaan in iyagguna ay si hoose u falaxashaan oo gole ay u dhan yihiin heshiisnaku yihiin u sameystaan?

The poor President is on the hot seat. Whatever he does or decides he is bound to step on someone’s toe. Agree with D block’s plan and bingo! control of Lower Shabelle region will be in play. D&M (Bay, Bakool, Sh, Hoose) and their new allies D of the south (Marka) will go thermo-nuclear and make a stand on the fate of Sh. Hoose. Concede Sh. Hoose status and boom! he will inaugurate real and existential conflict between D&M with their southern D allies and recent economic migrants (from Galmudug/Galgaduud) who set up settlement in the region in the height of the civil war. His own base will try their best to make a play for Benadir which if they do might trigger a constitutional crisis. Oppose D block’s plan in instituting a regional zone in the spirit of Federalism and he nullifies the agreed upon political framework for the post conflict Somalia – the very political settlement that made him a president. It is a zero-sum game. If Jubba confederacy gets its way, Sh. Hoose must make alliance with Bay-Bakool and institute their Federal state. Even though Bay-Bakool could go it alone, Sh. Hoose must have a province to partner with in order to meet the constitutional threshold of forming a regional autonomy. If folks championing federalism succeed in their quest to carve out the Republic into zones that mirror their base in clan composition and built their political and economic clout on clan-geographical terms have their way then the future of stable and strong Somalia will hinge on instable clan dynamics. Here is where the rubber meets the road. The President has a mandate to lead fractured nation to post-conflict era as Federal Republic with Benadir at the center exercising little power over autonomous regions at the periphery. He is also a member of political party that opposes this very idea and has political platform that envisions a united and strong state governed from the center. He has a mandate for implementing the former. He also made allegiance to party roadmap that wants to realize the second goal. The two are irreconcilable. Since the constitution has not been ratified, he has small room to maneuver. One way to bring the two positions closer is to manipulate the parliament and make subtle changes to the constitution that defangs its teeth when it comes to federalism. Secessionist in Hargeisa and Federalist in Garowe are watching and waiting President’s next move. Formation of Jubba Federal State is a litmus test for Federalist. For Secessionist empowering yet another D block with means of production and sound and almost intact infrastructure in a vast and fertile land with strategic port spells a disaster in terms of North-South dynamics. The question of how to deal with Jubba – which has a foreigner backer is really tricky. Mukhtar does not take into account the cascading effect of going one way or another on Jubba question has on recently concluded political settlement. It is tough problem for a politican.

Preach on Chimera. Go Chimera Go! I didn't read the whole post but I think I get the gist of your thinking. Whatever you do, DO NOT glorify Barre administration and military junta he led.

Looking good. Visuals are all good and fine. Hope this force have the capacity and the will power to keep the peace in their domain. At the end of the day the metric we should be using to judge their efficiency is the crime rate in this zone of Somalia that once existed. If the crime rate is under control then by all means brag about it but if the opposite is true awoowe xaalku ma wacna.

I think I read that Nin-Yaaban has seen the other side of bars. If that's the case it is only fair to demand Nin-Yaaban's mug shot Waryee put your mug shot up or cease and desist posting your colleagues in crime mug shots on the forum

Allow sahal. I hope the radio services get the word out and give out instructions of how to ride out on storms of this scale. I am sure radios services reach to almost all of Somalis as nomads are avid listeners of news through the radio.

Ciid Mubaarak qallanjo Rahima. Berri hore yaa iigu kaa danbeysay. Hope all is well and dandy IA. I'm guessing you've tied the knot by now and have couple of kids and whatnot. I get couple of nomads’ contacts already. I have colleagues from Perth with me here in the states and several colleagues (from previous office) in Perth now. I guess I will be fine in finding the hidden gems of Perth and its surroundings. Maqaaxi is on my mind though. When I find myself in a new city, nomad in me gets in auto pilot mode in finding nomads, masjid and maqaaxi. Mustafe, is it hotter than Dubai? I doubt it!

I am no executive my man. I wish I was one. If I gave the gallery the impression that I roll with big cats I have to set the record straight and say that's not the case. Awoowe folks I work with crave for ethnic foods. To them Somali dish is a delicacy they would like to find out. I want to give them the opp to taste canjeero, goat meat the Somali style, sambuusi and other delicacies. I know they will love them. The point, is the maqaaxi qallanjo Buuxo mentioned presentable to non-Somali folks who wants to find out the good tales I was feeding them all along. Mafhoom?

No and yes. No -- as you know the conflict still rages on, foreign troops are in Somali soil, AS are poised for a cameback, federal government needs protection from its own citizens, fiefdoms up in the recovery zones put out press releases -- on regular basis -- meant to show independence from the center. Yes -- clannish cutthroat as we know it is over. In Hargeisa, Booso and Benadir your clan profile is not important at least at the street level. There are no deep seated animosities between folks from different clan stations. Polticians won't let go though and you can count on them invoking painful memories, advocating partisan agendas colored with emotional sentiments and whatnot. Awoowe we got miles to go and rest assured we will get there someday. The diffidult question is when and what prize.

Political junkies might be interested to know that there was a brief ceasfire between the two presidential candidates last night at the charity ball. Obama's self-deprecating joke was lil bit over the top when he joked about Chris Matthew's now famous phrase..Romney was equally down to earth and get few memorable lines... http://www.c-span.org/Campaign2012/Events/67th-Annual-Alfred-E-Smith-Memorial-Foundation-Dinner/10737435020/ Satire is a joke masked with truth and that was the case last night. My man Obama said -- with long pause -- I wish I could use my middle name...preceded by a talk (complain in my book) of how Mitt is not Romney's first name (it is his middle name). Muslim names have no place in America highest echelons is the point I guess. The most entertaining ruwaayad is on full display. Voters are treated as they are shoppers and weighty issues of national importance are given to "consultants" to package, tailor and then employ marketing ploys to sell to the masses. Voter ignorance is the "word".

The good news is there are two Somali restuarants and Somali oldies to hang out with:0. Oz and Buuxo would IA tell us if the restuarants are open for other folks (non-Somalis) who love to get their hands with ethnic foods. I tell tall tales about how good Somali dishes are but I am also very careful to take friends with me unless I know for sure maqaaxi is up there and inline with my bragging tales. North awoowe you are right Dubai is one of a kind. I had a blast. Family loved it...except the heat which was abnormal. IA anytime I see a vanacy in my company I will jump on the opp and take it (there are vacancies in no man's land way up north of Abu Dhabi). Hope all is well with you and fam.

Apophis -- the point is online content and online platform as the preferred method to consume content has become the norm so much so that all major publications are now putting a place contingencies.. Newsweek is abandoning the print side altogether...that's why its move is a newsmaker grabbing headlines. Online is not a parallel universe anymore. It is the real deal.