When does a country become a state? On 18 May 1991, the leaders of the Somali. National Movement and the elders of northern Somali clans proclaimed that they we

The Somali people are fiercely nationalistic. Colonialism split them into five segments divided between four different powers. Thus decolonization and pan-Somal

Can ‘traditional’ leaders and institutions help to build more legitimate, accountable and effective governments in polities or ‘states’ under (re)constr

On May 18th, 1991, Somaliland embarked on a new path in order to manage its own destiny as a sovereign state and for 20 years the people of Somaliland have demo

Much analysis of state building focusses on dissecting specific projects and attempting to identify what has gone ’wrong’ in states such as Afghanistan and