Somaliland : from crisis to stability

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse strategies within the political elite in Somaliland for promoting post-conflict political stability and integration. The state collapse of the former Somalia is often linked to the politicizing of clans and I examine what facilitated this process historically and say something about the importance of clan in today’s Somaliland. The overall conclusion is that local initiatives and local/traditional structures are working and creating possibilities for reconstruction and lasting stability in Somaliland. The challenge is to make a good assessment how these local initiatives are functioning with more modern imposed structures like democracy.