Something scared off the Chinese. The Red Dragon still fears the Eagle.

Big stakes!

The house already existed long before the war errupted twenty years ago, it clearly mentioned being the former 'Qatari Embassy'. The IDPs came later, its not the property's fault, though it shouldn't be on the market in the first place, a direct slap in the faces of the generous Qataris if they find out about it, and since this report was by Al-Jazeera owned by Qatar LOL, there is a big chance they will! The 'dreamer' Amina and thousands of others like her are absolutely what the people, city and country need. Their dreams are providing thousands of jobs, it will change the face and reputation of the city in the long run. While you have some changing the skylines of other peoples cities and foreign countries, she is investing in her own country. The IDPs are the responsibility of the government, but most people want it to stay weak and ineffective for various self-serving humanitarian, political and clan reasons,

Haven't listened to it yet, but I'm disappointed with the cover. Yes, half of our people are nomads, but that is the view the world already has of Somalia/Somalis. I would have preferred something urban like: An alleyway of old Hamarweyne The Dervish tombs Marka etc

Che -Guevara;880150 wrote: ^Wrong prescription Sorry, take this one instead.

A black-list of corupt realtors would be a good thing indeed, and their location could be found within a week. All of their overseas assets would be claimed by the Federal government, the way Britain reclaims overseas wealth from tax-evaders.

oops.

Leezu, minorities were never a problem in Somalia, its exclusionists such as yourself that are behind its downfall. There is always something you want to exclude, maybe first the foreign residents, then historic minorities, then certain clans and then the women.............dude piss off with that crap LOL. Get a cosmopolitan mind, the moment the White man did, he ruled the world for three centuries, and now the Chinaman is doing the same.

Who the hell gave them permission to sell or rent government property such as the Qatar Embassy? Isn't this exactly what happened to the Somali embassies in Nairobi and Germany before they were reclaimed? Is there also no plan in helping the IDPs get settled in either the city, or back to their homes? These NGOs have a habit of trying to create camps that they can tag with a name and then claim funds for, without actually empowering them to get back on their feet.

*Ibtisam;879750 wrote: SalamAlikum. Alhumdulilah. It has been interesting weekend, I am back safe and sound, but it was a long road with lots of incidents; from m blog; The road between Berbera and Hargeisa is the most dangerous road ever, subxanallah. I feel lucky to be alive. I saw five cars flip in a massive crash and two stand alone accidents, most involving big trucks carrying livestock for the Hajj season. I requested the shaaqley to tighten my wheels before leaving Burco, for some strange reason, he loosen one of my tires (just one of the screws were tied on, human error I assume) Within 20mins of leaving Burco, my front tyre flew off and I was lucky I did not flip. While standing there in shock a fan full of 11 people pulled up to check I was okay and then drove pass. I started getting my spare tyre out to change it and as I was getting it down, a Surf with five guys pulled up. They changed my tyres within 5mins, checked the rest for me, did a little prayer, told me how lucky I was to be alive and insisted that I follow their car all the way to Hargeisa. The driver signaled and flashed his indicators for every hazard he saw on the way and when we got to shekh he pulled over and said “dhawaga hore muu martey (have you traveled down the mountain ring road before), if not, let one of us drive you” I told him I have and I’m fine, he gave me advise about keeping my foot on the break and continued to lead. The mistake of a Farah nearly killed me, but the kindness of Farah also helped me. When we stopped at Abdal check point, for some reason my engine just gave up. I told the nice men to go ahead and I will call for help. The drive took my number and they left, but not before bringing me cold drinks. The kindness of strangers, they called every hour until I got home. The best part was, they didn’t even ask my clan, or where I lived, or if I was married or how much I earned or if I was a foreigner, or why as a lone women I was driving without man- they asked no questions and offered only help and kindness. I called for help from both Hargeisa and Berbera and after 3hrs, a total of five landcruisers arrived, two from Berbera and three from Hargeisa. One of them gave me his car and insisted I go on home since it has been a long day. I waited anyway and within 30mins everyone had turned into a mechanic and they managed to knot, wipe, cut, fill and string together enough things to get the engine on- I am sure the British AA would not have been able to do what they did. We left three guys with the car to drive slowly and the rest of us headed home to Hargeisa in our cars. In my mind I was inpatient about all the delay and the difficult day I’ve had, but that soon evaporated and I was just thankful I was alive, for it could’ve been worse. Gazing at the mangled trucks and cars at Lafa Ruug, where a massive crash involving five vehicles, two livestock trucks, two trading trucks and one private vehicle, with the bodies and people being carried off in another truck. Sadness for the unnecessary loss of life and gratefulness to all my rescuers took over and my 9hr journey from Burco to Hargeisa seemed like a piece of cake. We saw two more crash sites before reaching Hargeisa. Such short distance, taking so many and emergency response teams so far and unable to respond to accidents. Everyone worries about Shekh road, but there are far less crashes on that side than compared to the Berbera- Hargeisa road. With the Hajji season in full swing I urge everyone to be careful on that road and avoid unnecessary travelling, at least until Hajji season is over and the trucks are less. Big trading trucks travel at slow pace compared to the 4x4s, but with very few equipped with side mirrors and even if they have them, their use not frequent, they tend to take up the whole road and over taking them while they are swerving to avoid the boreholes on the road is a death trap- (even if you sound your horn, they may not hear you or purposely not allow you to pass them (particularly if you are a female driver). I witnessed the human errors that cost lives, the kindness of strangers and the importance of friends and contacts that came to my aid when I got stranded, for not a single one was blood family or remotely related. So there goes my proof that clan is NOT EVERYTHING- at least when it comes to emergencies involving women. :D Ibti, your life is like James Bond without the S,D & RR. what kind of car were you driving?

President Xasan should apologize to the Somali people on this blooper particularly to the academia communities of which he is a member. - Guuled Siddi N!gga what?

All properties must be returned to their rightful owners, the city cannot become a safe and inclusive unifying metropolis if thousands of former residents do not feel the confidence of it being a national capital. A commission should be set up, where evidence can be provided. Where there is none, multiple interviews will be taken with various neighbours both in the country and overseas through technology such as Skype. If the Hassan family of House A and the Elmi family of house B remember the Samatars used to live at House C, this constitutes a pattern and if more interviews with opposite and distant neighbours confirm the same, then that house should be confiscated by the Federal government. If the family currently residing was duped by a sinister realtor, then some sort of compensation should be provided. I believe the families reclaiming their properties would have no problem helping out with that, if the realtor in question is nowhere to be found. This has to become a priority in the coming years.

Smack down.

Mogadishu vehicles to be registered after 20 years of chaos Somalia's transportation ministry has announced all vehicles in the capital Mogadishu will be offered official registration. Mr Mohamed Osman Ali, the ministry's director general said that vehicles using roads in Mogadishu must have documentation of ownership among other details. "The document will bear out who owns each vehicle,” said Mr Ali. "No motorised means of transport will be allowed to shuttle along the roads without proper documentation." According to security officers in Mogadishu, there have been no proper records of transfer of vehicle ownership over the past two decades, generating confusion and security risks in the country. "Some vehicles were imported with a set of documents showing the buyer,” said Mr Ali, while others underwent several changes of ownership without any documentation. "The new ministerial directive will help the security apparatus to identify wrongdoers during checks," said Mr Ali who said his ministry had acted on request of government departments dealing with internal security. In September, a large number of traffic police received training in Mogadishu for the first time following over 20 years of chaos. "Both the police and the public must be enlightened to better understand the traffic rules,” said Gene Ali Hersi Barre at the end of the training organised by Somali Channel, a largely Somali news TV broadcaster. Since the collapse of the central government in 1991, state institutions have failed to function properly. The new federal government is attempting to revive strategic organs such as those dealing with law enforcement and the judiciary. LINK

I don't see it as win or lose debate, Apophis, I genuinely wanted you to see a different side of the country and what the Somali people can achieve with peace and a meritocratic system.

Apophis;879255 wrote: Only in your mind Flourishing ports, modern farming and processing factories are a sign of 'progress' only in 'my mind?' Seriously Apophis, with each new post of yours there is a steady erosion in your argument in both content and style, a clear sign of it crumbling. All these things are possible but not in the next 5 years (not even the next 10 in my opinion)and certainly not in the scale your pictures represent. What you showcased will take a century for a country like Somalia. I already broke down the cost, which is next to nothing. and projected what is needed to achieve this within five years of peace in that region. All you have given me is your usual underestimation of the Somali entrepreneurial spirit that is felt all across Africa. Hate it or love it, qabiilism is part and parcel of the fabric of Somali society and my comment was appropriate. Its an outdated societal disease, much like direct racism was in 1960s America, but of course Apophis living in 1960s America would tell me 'Hate it or love it, racism is part and parcel of the fabric of American society", because you deem it appropriate as a comment and that's that! While I deem a new mentality that's conducive to progress and meritocracy appropriate. No red herrings, just introducing a dose of reality in your dream filled posts, Yes, because stating something that would cost less than $100 million to initiate would take Somalia a century to achieve is 'realistic'. Sure. if you don't like it say so and I will stop. Stop with what, arguments that are intellectually bankrupt? Consider my posts a bail-out. If progress could be attained as you seem to think, Mao wouldn't have had to work to death a sizeable number of his people. Because Somalia has a population of 1 billion, eh? Nice comparison. Culturally, I will give you that, militarily, I will also accept that (with the understanding that the Somali military depended on foreign powers for materials and training). I wasn't even referring to military power, but military assistance to other countries, you should take a look at the military history of the country, Somalia spend its own political resources and military assets in making sure multiple African countries achieved total independence from stubborn colonialists, or had their voices heard. But let's not be arrogant and declare our uniqueness; this false hubris has been our Achilles heel. You confusing 'uniqueness' with 'superiority', but I don't. That Somalia had two of the four most prestigious film festivals in Africa is a sign of uniqueness. That Somalia had a city called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is a sign of uniqueness. I don't know why you would deny that. To me the likes of Britain and Japan are unique in their respective continents in terms of popular culture and political culture, even if they sometimes overlap with others. Somalia exported little quantity of Bananas A high-value crop, it employed 120 000 people. No other industry in East Africa employed that many people at the time. Secondly it was on a upwards trajectory. More plantations were to be established and if it kept doubling annually like that for the next twenty years as new markets opened, the country would easily be in the global top 20. and almost exported as much milk as those well known milk producers, China, big deal. A one million farming community versus a community of hundreds of millions, a big deal indeed. Comparison with next door neighbours not Tunisia or Vietnam You were the one that begrudge me when I did exactly that and you made the analogy of the 'shoeless beggar' in reference to Africa. Do not think I didn't notice how you conveniently didn't quote that part. All these and yet the country had an export value of a mere 100 million dollars. Context, context, context. In today's money that would amount to $350 million dollars in exports, contrast that with the trade-volume of today's Ethiopia twenty years later at $1billion, and with a population of 85 million. The issue I have with prewar Somalia is the 'hands-on' approach of the government. That was a mistake. If the major infrastructural assets were manned by government clerks while the rest of the economy was opened up and allowed to mushroom, ''all these'' would have been used to their optimum capacity. Even today the export volume of live-stock at two northern ports is estimated at $2 billion, again contrast that with the export volume of Ethiopia. And by the way, lets remember it took a socialist, military government with a tight control over the country to achieve most of the above in a 20yr time period (1970-1989) so what makes you think the same can be done in 5? What data do you have good sir? That's incorrect, the socialist government's achievements were strictly in the 1970s, afterwards it became static and succumbed to the disease of clan-nepotism. Hence why I believe if a new government like the one we have today had quickly filled the vacuum, while most of institutions were still intact, we would be in a much better situation today. However, if one looks at the history of the socialist government, the first five years saw the construction of the largest mechanised army in Africa, the construction of major ports, multiple 250-500km highways and roads, major factories and a mass literacy campaign, plus the country was self-sufficient and capable of withstanding droughts by turning farmers in to fishermen. What I highlighted in that gallery can be done in five years, though there will not be as many ships in the Somali ports as the ports I posted, because they are the top seaports in the world, and only substituted as a visual example of progress rather than a direct bench-mark we have to achieve in five years time. With 50% of the world's sea-trade passing by Somalia, the aftermath of reconciliation and peace would allow these ships to dock in Somalia the same way they did in the past and which justified the construction of panamax ports in the first place. It would only take [A] - a good lobbying group to make ties with both foreign and Somali shipping lines, [B] - low ports fees, and [C] - an upgrade of infrastructure that could be done by either China or Turkey. The latter already wants to turn Somalia into a hub of Africa. None of this would amount to 'a century', but could be done within five years of total peace in the country!

Apophis;879168 wrote: There's no data to support your assertion. And history is not an accurate predictor of future events. My assertion? Do you even know what I asserted with that gallery in the first place? ----> Progress! - Can Kismayo become a massive port? ---> It was once and so it can be again, after-all it does have panamax infrastructure, I cannot stress how important that is. - Can the farms of the jubba regions be modernised? ---> You could buy 10 tractors and 10 combines and not even break a million dollars. The clans have spend more on weapons and bullets. - Is it possible to have a milk-bottling factory in the region? ---> You can buy one from Ali-baba.com on the cheap. - Is it possible to have a meat-processing factory in the region? ---> If Burco will have one of the largest in East Africa in the next two years, I see no reason why it would take a century for another Somali region to establish one. You see, when I showcase the alternative to this petty qabiilism and break it down like that, its not farfetched at all and certainly doesn't warrant a 'not in this century' comment. Yes, yes it's all great for everyone to be literate but that doesn't translate to economic development. Africa is full of not only literate people but also high calibre graduates yet the continent is still a hell hole. No need to invoke economic principles to deduce this self evident truth. All of your statements are plain red-herrings. As a unified people we received UNESCO awards for progress, as a divided people we receive pity and mockery. Grasp my point. Even if there was no civil war, the country would have been nothing unique in Africa. (breaking my own rules here). It was already unique before the war happened, a small sized population that had a massive impact on the continent both culturally, politically and militarily. I can point out plenty of facts to support this, but you would conveniently dismiss them because your entire argument is rooted in 'underestimation' and plain ignorance. You keep using "largest","biggest", this buzz words mean nothing without understanding the numbers. Do you know the numbers? Check here and get back to me >>> Somalia What you call 'buzz' words are common terminologies used to denote leaders of a particular industry, and Somalia was a leader of many. Do you understand the numbers? These figures are impressive for a country of 7 million at the time. The fact that Somalia was exporting over 100 thousand tons of bananas in 1989 might seem low to you but when you take into the account the global banana volume was only 8 million, it puts things in persepective. The fact that Somalia exported 1.6 million tons of milk in 1989 might seem nothing to you but when you compare it with the 3.3 million tons of a huge country like China, it again puts things in persepective. This wasn't even my point, what matters is that all of these Somali industries were massive employers, and put food on the table, the banana industry employed more people than any other in East Africa. Jobs and nourishment that is currently absent in the region, which was my original point. Why data invites a comparison with Tunisia? The data that you provided is sufficient to support my comparison, or are you actually assuming a peaceful Somalia would suffer two decades of 'static' development? Come'on, There wasn't even a big difference in GDP per capita and the populations are similar. Economic "predictions" are slightly better than the ones attained from tarot cards; Economics is not a science though it tries to be. So no I don't take economists' "ifs" and "buts" seriously. But I should take your convenient 'dismissals' and biased 'authorative language' serious? You're the one comparing Somalia with Asian and North African countries when it's clear any comparison should be with neighbouring counties. LMAO, and when I did that you started talking about 'comparing yourself with a shoeless beggar' in reference to Africa. Clearly your arguing for argument's sake, but that's okay, i'm tenacious. We never did it before and you're dreaming if you think you can fix an utterly failed state in 5 years. You're dealing in false hope. Picture 1 and 2 - Panamax ports - Fact 1 - We have three panamax ports that welcomed hundreds of ships and we maintained a large merchant marine.= we did it in the past and we can do it again!. Picture 3 and 4 - Modern farming - Fact 2 - The government constructed multiple barrages, silos, storage facility and modern equipment to the fertile regions, and had green-lit Africa second largest dam = we did it in the past and we can do it again! Picture 5, and 6 - Milk bottling/meat processing plants - Fact 3 - Somalia had dairy factories and exported 1.6 million tons of milk before the war, four times the import demand of a large region like West Africa in that same period. It still exports the most livestock in the world, and before the war constructed some of the largest processing plants in the region = we did in the past and we can do it again!

Apophis;879141 wrote: I'm getting that deja vu feeling. Get used to it. I'm aiming for objectivity so "my people" thing is utterly irrelevant. You can only progress when one doesn't shy away from reality What are you talking about? You disputed whether the images I posted would be possible with the statement 'not in this century', and I show you why it is possible well within this decade based on the recent history in the previous century, . When comparing yourself to a shoeless beggar then I guess you can say "biggest" this and that. You clearly have no clue about economics, development and how progress is measured for each country on this planet. For Somalia to go from a measly 5% to 75% literacy rate in the span of five years is a success by any measurement or standard, it doesn't matter if the rates of the surrounding neighbours at the time were abysmal. What matters is that Somalis can make serious progress if they leave their petty differences behind. Which was my whole damn point, before you started your whole 'your too optimistic' card. Somalia was a basket case As was Malaysia, as was South Korea, but they aren't today, neither would Somalia have been today had the country not collapsed. with little export Somfruit company was the largest employer in East Africa exporting high-value commodities like bananas, mango, etc. Canned meat and fish was exported, incense was exported, Cement was exported, textiles were exported, sugar and salt was exported. The Bardera dam would have boosted Somali agriculture as the second largest dam in Africa. That's more than enough for a country to prosper, Malaysia did it with Palm-oil! and if it wasn't being maintained, starting qith Italy and then the Soviet Union followed by the USA, it would have been the Ethiopia of the 80s. Of course the Smaller population helped. Somalia's GDP per capita was 8 times higher than Ethiopia's at the time. Even after a collapse of twenty years, they dont have that kind of lead over us. You only need to look at countries like Tunisia to see where Somalia should be today. Lets give credit where credit is due.And lets no play the "If" game. Historical reputations, trends and infrastructural achievements are all measurements by which countries' destinies are postulated. You might as well tell all economists in the world to ignore whatever indexes that are published on the future of the world, because Apophis doesn't like 'ifs'. LOL It took 40 year for Vietnam to reach where it is and you think Somalia can do it in 5? This is what I mean, you just argue for the sake of arguing, and don't grasp my point. Who's talking about Vietnam's current level? I was clearly referring to whom they are compared to (i.e other Asian countries close to them), because you made the fallacious argument about Somalia and my comparisons with the rest of Africa. All that was shown in those pictures could be achieved in Somalia within five years, we did that in the past with less resources than we have today! It's all of that but it's also a fact of Somali life, you can't eradicate it, it has been tried and it has failed. Work with it. Racism was once part of American life, and they eradicted it, this is no different. Don't tell me to work with systemised racism in the form of clannism.

The US government on Wednesday welcomed the appointment of Abdi Farah Shirdon as the new prime minister of Somalia. The State Department said in a statement that Washington looks forward to Shirdon's selection of a new cabinet and its approval by the Somalia's parliament "in accordance with Somalia's new provisional constitution." Encouraged by parliament speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari's promise to support the new administration, the State Department said the United States continues to "stand with the Somali people as they stabilize and rebuild their country." The statement said Washington also looks forward to "hearing from the new government how we can best work together in partnership for the benefit of Somalia and the region." Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Saturday named Shirdon, a businessman, as the country's new prime minister, nearly a month after the president was elected. Somalia has been without a central government for more than two decades after the overthrow of the former ruler Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991. LINK ...

If Romney wins then expect the same American foreign policy blunders in the Horn of Africa.

Apophis;879122 wrote: I'm sorry but I just think you're being too optimistic. I think your underestimating your own people and what they're capable of in good times, and with good leadership, I don't. Somalia was a basket case even when it had a government Nonsense, we had the highest literacy rates, the biggest sports venues, the biggest military, the biggest factories, the most deepwater ports, the highest GDP per capita in the region, etc. If we had continued with the progress that was made for the last twenty years instead of war, then we would be an 'emerging market' country today. (Panamax port or no port). The fact that Somalia established three panamax ports was a major achievement equaled by no other country on the continent. Only South Africa and Morrocco today have as many. With 50% of the world's sea-trade passing by Somalia, we would be flourishing even if attracted only 1% of this massive trade-volume. And in Africa "largest" doesn't mean as much as you think it means. What? Should Vietnam measure its own progress with the rest of Asia or with high-tech America? And regarding qabiliism: Qabiil is a dumb system, plain and simple. It kept the Japanese poor and war-torn for centuries until they dropped it for their own good. And look where they are today.

I prefer taking the stairs.

Apophis;879104 wrote: ^^ Not in this century. All that was happening in this region in the last century with one of the largest Panamax ports in the Indian Ocean handling hundreds of ships. The region had some of the largest factories and plants processing agriculture, meat and fish in Africa. However petty qabiilism that is also displayed in this topic made sure all progress was halted and now none of these petty clans are enjoying what could have enjoyed had they been less myopic, and most likely they will not enjoy any of this for as long they maintain this paleolithic clan tradition above meritocracy and the collective good. However all this can be a reality in less 5 years time!

Alpha, if people don't have 'capital' to start a business, there is no point in going to the ministry of commerce to register anything in the first place, because their business will never come to fruition in most cases.