Lessons learned in Somalia civil war.

[Baashi]

This is what I come up. This is just an observation nothing more and I know I’m generalizing a bit here.

 

1. Politics is extremely important to Somali polity (most Somalis are politicians).

 

2. Negative tribalism is real and majority of the people think it is synonymous with politics.

 

3. Uninformed public is prone to be used, abused, and misled by clever, selfish, and immoral leaders.

 

4. Somalis are not nationalistic people.

 

5. In Somalia, tribalism overrides Islam, love of country, and even common sense.

 

6. “Intellectualsâ€, professionals, and generally the Diaspora have funded indirectly the Somali civil war.

 

7. Proxy war is more dangerous than declared wars between nations.

 

8. Somalis are good entrepreneurs and can excel when given chance.

 

9. Animosity between clans or within clans is hard to get rid of without just and effective government.

 

10. Majority of Somalis thinks personalities are more important than the office they hold, government institutions, or even the system.

[SOO MAAL]

Absolutely true, but did we really learned these lessons?

 

One man said "Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own"

 

How about somali people?

[Rahima]

6. “Intellectualsâ€, professionals, and generally the Diaspora have funded indirectly the Somali civil war.

More like directly, they are the evil people in my opinion.

 

Just to give you an example, many of the business men and women in Mogadishu have vowed to never pay money towards these clan wars, yet the money still keeps pouring in-no second guessing where from.

 

8. Somalis are good entrepreneurs and can excel when given chance.

How true, I was amazed at the success of business in Somalia. Just opening up a small Bakhaar will ensure almost immediate success.

 

I have benefited so much from going home, inshallah I plan to catch the boom before it plateaus out.

[Gabbal]

Baashi gacan baa kuu taagay ina adeer. Sidaa u soo qabatay.. War dee barabiyo baan ku iri :cool:

[STOIC]

Bashi-isn't this a world of scarcity? Scarcity that is confined to luck of leaders with good character and personality.The somali leaders are taking for a ride the poor and the helpless.The meaning of life have long been erased from the hearts of the so called Somali leadership.They have fogetten that their remarks and actions are bound to engender despair, strife,hope and goodwill of the society.The somali people have reached a point where they can only watch from the sideline while their leaders are indulged in inveighing each other with cheap shot politics. I know iam stigmatizing this leaders but what are you left with when the only thing that is left for the people is to face any danger with trepidation.The somali leaders have thwarted the future of Somalia.Baashi, could you please acquint me with your thoughts about the current leadership crisis(you look like someone who knows more).Do you think that things will change for the better when this current generation are long gone(dead) or the future is at our door step?.I have not well versed my self with the Somali politics but from what i can see the mass are taken for a ride by this ingrate leaders.

[Baashi]

Stoic sxb good question that you posed there but the thing is we would never know until that day comes. The good ones have tuned out and they see Somali politics as despicable profession. They tend to look down on their own and the only contribution they offer is to highlight all that is wrong.

 

The ones that pay attention are rooting for their clan. They empower one group by advocating their clan’s policies and most often than not they are the ones that articulate, plan, and fund their group’s political ambitions at the expense of "the" other group.

 

The ones that advocate elevated, noble and principled causes (Maxkamadaha (in principle), Somaliweyn) find themselves alienated by all the contestants of this civil war. Like the word “liberal†in America, these causes are becoming as dirty as the word “liberalâ€.

 

There are many good, decent, and principled leaders inside Somalia. The problem is they don’t have following in their neck of the wood. Complacency is a real problem. What else would one make of their jubilant ululation when one warlord attacks a city and succeeds to capture it? I don’t pretend to know that much but I tell ya bro I have my take on these events and I blame both the immoral leaders and their complacent supporters alike.

[Sky]

Originally posted by Baashi:

 

8. Somalis are good entrepreneurs and can excel when given chance.

 

now i know you dont mean that. open up a biibito and just sit on your fat a.ss and see the dollars rolling, good entreprenuership ma ahan. thats just consumer market's growth. well see soomaalida how do they business when the economy aint as good as it is now. hehe war sheeko baad noo keentay, i despise how somalis do business. no bookkeeping, bad service, no mission statement and the list goes on. but the rest was to the point though. coulnt have said it beter.

[Baashi]

More...

 

11. Guns and logistics are the great equalizer in any war but more so in the civil wars. Clans that had these two had won battle after battle.

 

12. Ethiopia, Yemen, Egypt, Djibouti, and Eritrea were (and still are) valuable to underdog clans because of the need to have armament in a perpetual war.

 

13. No clan can dominate another for a significant period.

 

14. Ethiopia is an important power broker in current Somali politics. Its friends won the political battle more than once. Ethiopia holds the key to successful peace settlement of the border problem between PL and SL. Withdrawing Ethiopia support from one of these entities could tip the balance...

 

15. Mogadishu is a political powerhouse and without it Somali civil war is not (and will not) be over.

 

16. Benaadirs, Barawaanis, Jareer, and Baajuunis are the real victims (more than others) in the Somalia civil war just because they don’t practice tribalism. They couldn’t form an organized militia that could team up in a coalition with one of the contestants.

 

17. The era of one clan dominating Somali political land escape is over.

 

18. The question of Somaliland is bigger than we have imagined.

 

19. Strong and united Somalia are both a blessing and curse.

 

20. The criminal warlords have the keys to peaceful Somalia. Somalis have no choice but to have them lead the way for a while at least until they lose the power they have now.

[STOIC]

Baashi,let me thank you for your response first(mahatsanit).Looking at the way things are, clanism is the main culprit that is causing the disintegration of the somali society,this is obvious to a first grade somali child.Loyalty to ones clan is something that is ineluctable within our society.Since Somali nationalism is jousting with clanism, don't you think it will apropriate to divide Somalia in to different sub-units whereby each and every little corner (clan based)will be given the final authority to decide independently of each other under the umbrella of a main government that can not act without the approval of the clan based final authority vote.I know this will be unfair to the minority but they can build a coalition with whoever they choose to join.The clan based government can come together and pool their sovoreign power together and form a government that will prevent the majority (clan in this matter) from forming unchallenged government.This is my opinion,i think the whole clan thing came from battle freinship during earlier pastrolism life and that it has nothing to do with blood relation (eventhough it turned out this way later).My message to the new government is when they settle down and form a government let them form a school curiculum that project the clanism as a myth and not blood kinship(ofcourse i am dreaming).Don't you think it is time for the newly elect president to go home and prove to the people that he is there leader?, instead of ruling through proxy?.