Author: scswe
By Ibrahim Hirsi Somali poetry has long occupied a central place in Somali cultural life, serving as a primary mode of expression within an overwhelmingly oral society. It encompasses a vast range of forms and functions, including lullabies, work songs, dance songs, religious verse, praise poetry, and political commentary. Despite this diversity, the dominant trends in the collection, study, and canonisation of Somali poetry have disproportionately centred works produced by nomadic pastoralist communities, particularly those from the north. This imbalance is neither accidental nor purely aesthetic; it is rooted in historical, political, and ideological processes that have shaped both Somali…
US-IRAN TALKS IN MUSCAT: Managing Risk amid High Tension When Iranian and American officials meet in Muscat on Friday, global attention will focus on a stage long associated with high-stakes diplomacy. The venue is set, but the format, agenda, and potential for a substantive outcome remain uncertain. This ambiguity is not incidental; it reflects the reality of US-Iran relations today, where cautious negotiation coexists with the constant threat of confrontation. Oman’s selection as host is both practical and symbolic. Muscat has historically offered a discreet channel for adversaries unable to meet openly, from the back-channel diplomacy that helped pave the…
As we gather across the globe particularly at forums like the Somali Diaspora Conference in Doha one message is clear now is not the time to quit on Somalia The challenges are real and measurable. Overall unemployment hovers around 20 percent while youth unemployment exceeds 30 percent a pressing constraint on long-term stability. Nearly 70 percent of Somalis live below the international poverty line and illiteracy remains high with half of adults unable to read and write. Only a third of school-age children are enrolled in formal education. These numbers are more than statistics they represent untapped talent and delayed…
The Political Logic Behind Somalia’s Fragmentation For three decades, the international community has funnelled billions into rebuilding the Somali state. Yet, the result is not a functioning government, but a sophisticated marketplace of chaos, a hollow shell where power is traded, institutions are weaponized, and the very concept of national sovereignty is sabotaged from within. The international community has fundamentally misread the situation. Somalia’s fragility is not an accident to be fixed, but a deliberately sustained system from which powerful players profit. Building a normal state would destroy that system, so those actors sabotage it. Therefore, standard state-building is doomed…
The development marks a notable turn in Somalia’s political and security landscape, with effectively, Israel became the only UN member state to make such a declaration in the backdrop of international isolation following its genocidal policy in Palestine. The Somali government, countries in the region and beyond including key continental blocs such as the African Union, IGAD, Gulf Council Commission and the League of Arab States have strongly condemned the move, warned of regional instability and declared the move a nullity. President Donald Trump has dismissed the idea with a ‘No!” to his close ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This…
The development marks a notable turn in Somalia’s political and security landscape, with it is part of a broader strategy to fragment Islamic countries and neutralize key states through encirclement. By doing so, Israel is not only dividing Somalia, a country that is 100% Muslim, and risking an internal war with Sudan-like mass atrocities, but also gaining access to the critically strategic Port of Berbera at the exit of the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Aden. This move effectively encircles Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the two major powers of the Red Sea, as well as Türkiye, which has a…