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19831. MacArthur Asia Security Initiative Dissemination Meeting on Non-Traditional Security

Publication Date:
11-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS)
Abstract:
Over the last three years, the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) coordinated cluster three of the MacArthur Asia Security Initiative, which focused on internal challenges in Asia. The Centre developed an active research agenda that drew on its own resources as well as that of its network partners around the region to deliver policy-relevant outputs. The research addressed many of the most pressing challenges faced by Asia's policymaking communities, from climate change, natural disasters, and energy, to internal and cross-border conflict.
Topic:
Security, Climate Change, Energy Policy, and Natural Disasters
Political Geography:
Asia and Australia

19832. Poem: Why Norway, Why in this Way?

Author:
Bashir Goth
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Why? A question with no answer As no answer fills the void No answer rises to decipher Why Norway, why in this way?

19833. Poem: Noolaha Dhamaantii

Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Waxa uu kaga hadlayaa abwaanku nolosha iyo waxa uu aadmigu kagaduwanyahay xayawaanka noocyadiisa kale. Waxa uu ku nuuxnuuxsanayaadadku inay wax qabsadaan oo ay xoogsadaan una dhididaanoo isu hawlaan horumarkooga habsami u dhaqankooga, Isagoo dhanwalba ka tusaya xag diineed xag waaya aragnimaba.

19834. Interviewing the Interviewer: A Conversation with the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad Sheikh Omer

Author:
Ahmed Samatar
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
The famous Thames River and the city of London are intimately linked. Much like Paris and the Seine or the Twin Cities and the Mississippi, London without the Thames is unthinkable. Though the river is nolonger pivotal for the transportation of goods and people, life in this metropolis still draws on the many advantages of the waterway, particularly during the late spring, summer, and early autumn seasons of the year. With more than two millennia of history and as the one-time center of the now-defunct British Empire, London has been for a number of centuries—and continues to be—a leading global city. With are markable alchemy of mutating versions of tradition and modernity, London boasts some of the most urbane populations to be found anywhere. I came of age in this dense but civilized place—a place where, for instance, taxi driving is a distinctive skill that combines exceptional courteousness and thorough knowledge of the numerous grand boulevards and the labyrinth of ancient back streets.
Political Geography:
London

19835. The Somali Media and their Peace-Building Potential

Author:
Terje Skjerdal
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
One of the key issues to be interrogated by media researchers in relation to conflicted societies is the extent to which the media serve to escalate or reduce the overall conflict situation. The argument goes that the media either escalate the conflict by accentuating disagreements, foregrounding confrontations, and lending air time to forceful voices, or, conversely, reduce the conflict by shunning extremism, giving room for alternative voices and visualizing peaceful solutions. For several reasons, the media situation in and around Somalia provides an interesting ground for discussing these issues. For one, the longlasting Somali conflict has been a recurrent issue for both the local and the international media. In addition, the extraordinary situation of the growing Somali diaspora has provoked a media engagement that in a special way treats issues of conflict through civic-driven, transnational media channels. Within this backdrop, it is the aim of the current article to discuss the role of the extended Somali media in relation to the local conflict situation. By “extended Somali media,” I point to both the local media in Somalia as well as diaspora media channels that are situated abroad but are still heavily concerned with Somali issues in their content.
Political Geography:
Somalia

19836. Role of International Aid and Open Trade Policies in Rebuilding the Somali State

Author:
Hussein Warsame
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Since its formation in 1960 from the union of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland, the Somali Republic was always dependent on foreign aid to balance its operations and development budgets. In each of the three years after independence, the Republic financed 31 percent of its budget with grants from its former colonizers: Britain and Italy.General Mohamed Siad Barre's socialist military regime of 1969–1991 heavily depended on financial and technical support from the U.S.S.R. until disagreement about the 1977–78 war between Somalia and Ethiopia disrupted the relationship. Due to Somalia's strategic location and the Cold War, Siad Barre was able to replace the financial loss caused by the departure of the U.S.S.R. with aid from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and countries in Western Europe.
Topic:
Cold War
Political Geography:
United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia

19837. Mental Health Problems and Healing among Somalis in Sweden

Author:
Johan Wedel
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Refugees are particularly at risk of mental health problems and they often have special needs that must be met if integration into the new country is to succeed. However, there is a lack of research that focuses on the refugees' own perceptions and ideas about mental health. One of the largest refugee populations worldwide is the Somalis. It is estimated that more than a million have fled their country because of the civil war. Many Somalis in the diaspora experience anxiety, marginalization, and mental health problems. At the same time, few make use of biomedical health services when suffering. Moreover, there exists a certain mistrust of the biomedical health sector. In addition, many Somalis turn to non-Western healing practices when suffering from episodes of ill health. Somalis in the diaspora have depression and anxiety related to war, the loss of family members, and afflicting spirits known as jinni or jinn.
Political Geography:
Sweden and Somalia

19838. The Newest African-Americans?: Somali Struggles for Belonging

Author:
Cawo Abdi
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Migration anchors the essence of what it means to be an American. The “imagined community” is made up of individuals, their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents, who crossed oceans to seek better pastures for their families. In other words, America is synonymous with migration. At its core, it remains characterized by the different waves of immigrants from across the world who, over the last five centuries, sought their fortunes and fates in this beautiful land. However, being an American is also a contested notion, one that over its long history too often failed to measure up to its ideals. The slavery of Africans as well as the brutal treatment and extermination of many Native Americans also anchor the idea of belonging to this nation. From the founding of the nation at the end of the 18th century, cracks and contradictions in its ideals continue to manifest themselves through institutionalized discrimination and the exclusion of certain groups within its diverse population.
Political Geography:
Africa and America

19839. Revival of the Civic Spirit: Contradictions in Somali-American Citizenship

Author:
Louise Dickson
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Throughout history, the notion of citizenship has been full of contradictions. Both as a method of inclusion and exclusion, of privilege and second-class status, citizenship is a cornerstone of one's individual, national, and global identity. Some optimistic scholars have noted an entrance into a “post-national” phase of global citizenship; however, this vision cannot be realized while human rights are being violated. To be sure, citizenship has become a much more universal concept since its inception and has been facilitated by ideas of cosmopolitanism. Yet it has not transcended national boundaries into the global sphere. This claim can be supported by almost any national immigration case study. Whether in South Africa, Norway, or France, immigrant refugees fleeing persecution are rarely granted full human rights in terms of citizenship. The United States is in the midst of a third major wave of immigration: from 1990 to 2008 almost one million new arrivals landed here each year. Since the eruption of civil war in Somalia in 1991, many Somalis have sought refuge in the United States—a symbol of political, religious, and social freedom—and have followed chain migration patterns scattered across the country, with one of the largest populations settling in the Twin Cities area. However, the “Somali Capital of the United States” does not provide asylum or immunity from the international contradictions in citizenship and human rights, which will be an underlying theme throughout the essay.
Topic:
Human Rights
Political Geography:
United States, Norway, France, South Africa, and Somalia

19840. E Pluribus Unum: 21st-Century Citizenship and the Somali-American Experience

Author:
Owen Truesdell
Publication Date:
01-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
This moment in American history represents a confluence of major national and international events almost unparalleled in modern history. The United States faces two major wars, a massive and seemingly intractable recession that has robbed many of its citizens of their livelihoods and savings, and a sclerotic system of American government that seems to have lost its ability to take on and overcome big challenges for the good of the American people. Internationally, the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East has led to the toppling of feckless dictators and a move toward democracy in Egypt. However, it has also led to the deaths of thousands of civilians, further political repression in certain parts of the region, and a civil war in Libya, which also features military action by NATO and the United States and its Arab and Western allies. This chaotic and troubling time presents numerous challenges for the United States and the world.
Topic:
NATO
Political Geography:
United States, America, Middle East, Libya, Arabia, Egypt, and Somalia