Searching for an Identity: Examining the Somaliland Quest for Recognition
Keywords:
recognition, de facto, de jure, parent state, sovereignty, territorial integrityAbstract
The breakup of the Soviet Union and the emergence of many new states represent as one of the major political developments in post-Cold War era. Subsequently, the emergence of the new world order has changed both the character and the practice of the international law and has been regarded as one of the major if not the sole source of the contemporary international conflicts in a changing world. In the Horn of Africa, Somaliland unilaterally declared its separation from the rest of Somalia claiming the boundaries it inherited from its colonial master, the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1960 before it voluntarily merged with the Italian colony in the south in the same year as part of Greater Somalia Ambition. This study argues that though the political rebuilding of Somaliland has for the most part been an internal outcome, it has no international legal status, and the international community has not yet responded the de jure recognition it demands. The conclusion that emerges from this study questions why Somaliland is not yet to be recognized by the international community, while both regional and international bodies has failed to take the opportunity to engage as a neutral third party and respond the recognition it demands.
Â
References
• Alexandrov, Vladimir (1986). A Contemporary World History 1917-1945. Printed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: Progress Publishers.
• Bradbury, Mark (2008). Becoming Somaliland. London: James Curry Publishers.
• Bulhan, Hussein (2008). Politics of Cain: One Hundred Years of Crises in Somali Politics and Society. 1st edition. Bethesda, Maryland: Tayosan International Publishing.
• Contini, Paolo (1969). The Somali Republic: An Experiment in Legal Integration. London: Frank Cass and Co.
• Dualeh, Hussein (2002). Search for a New Somali Identity. Printed in the Republic of Kenya.
• Eubank, Nicholas (2010). “Peace-Building without External Assistance: Lessons from Somalilandâ€. CGD Working Paper 198. Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development.
• Hall, Douglas (1961). Somaliland’s Last Year as a Protectorate, African Affairs, no. 238. pp. 26–37.
• Human Rights Watch (2009). Somaliland: ‘Hostage to Peace’- Threats to Human Rights and Democracy in Somaliland. New York: Human Rights Watch.
• International Crisis Group (2006). Somaliland: Time for African Union Leadership. Africa Report No 110. Addis Ababa/Brussels/Hargeisa: International Crisis Group.
• International Republican Institute (2005). Somaliland: September 29, 2005 Parliamentary Election Assessment Report. Washington, DC: International Republican Institute.
• J. Carroll, Anthony & B. Rajagopal (1993). The Case for the Independent Statehood of Somaliland. American University Journal of International Law and Policy. pp. 653 –683.
• Kinfe Abraham (2002). Somalia Calling: The Crisis of Statehood and Quest for Peace. 1st edition. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Lewis, I.M. (2002). A Modern History of the Somali: Revised, Updated and Expanded. 4th edition. United Kingdom: Long House Publishing Services.
• Medhane Tadesse (2002). Al-Ittihad: Political Islam and Black Economy in Somalia. Addis Ababa: Mega Printing Enterprise.
• Meredith, Martin (2006). The State of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence. Great Britain: The Free Press.
• Mesfin Wolde-Mariam (1977). Somalia: The Problem Child of Africa. Addis Ababa: Artistic Printing Press.
• M. Adam, Hussein (1994). “Formation and Recognition of New States: Somaliland in Contrast to Eritreaâ€. Review of African Political Economy. ISSN 0305-6244; RIX#5903, pp. 21-38.
• M. Ali, Nasir (2013). ‘Overcoming Diplomatic Isolation: Forging a New Somaliland Approach’. Hargeisa: the Social Research and Development Institute (SORADI).
• Schoiswohl, Michael (2004). Status and (Human Rights) Obligations of Non-Recognized De Facto Regimes in International Law: The Case of ‘Somaliland ’. Lieden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
• The Reporter (2009). “Stabilizing the Horn†(Tannock, Charles), 31st October, p. 14.
• W.Nabudere, Dani (2000). “Globalization, the African Post-Colonial State, Post-Traditionalism and the New World Order.†In D. Nabudere (ed), Globalization and the post-colonial African state, Harare: AAPS Books.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
- Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
- It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
- The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
- The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
