Somalia: A Country in Peril, A Policy Nightmare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Eileen White Read (ENOUGH Project), 202-741-6376
eread@enoughproject.org

Washington, D.C. (September 3, 2008) — Political and humanitarian crises in Somalia are worsening and taking on a global significance the international community must address, argues a strategy paper, Somalia: A Country in Peril, A Policy Nightmare, released today by the Enough Project.

Ken Menkhaus, Davidson College (N.C.) professor and author of the report, argues that Somalia’s bloody 18 year conflict is worsening due to seismic political, social, and security changes are occurring in the country. The report analyzes the international policy failures at every level—in state-building, reconciliation, political transition, economic recovery, humanitarian access, and counter-terrorism efforts to combat radicalization—and argues for nothing short of a complete review of what Menkhaus terms “shipwrecked” international policies..“Given the severity of the crises in Somalia and the extraordinary level of failure”, Menkhaus says, “the burden of proof must fall squarely on the shoulders of those advocating a ‘stay the course’ approach, not on those calling for change.”

"It would be a dangerous error of judgment to brush off Somalia’s current crisis as more of the same," said Enough Project Policy Advisor Colin Thomas-Jensen in releasing the report at a panel discussion on Somalia’s crisis. “With 3.5 million Somalis at risk of famine,” Thomas-Jensen continued, “the human cost of continued failure is escalating by the day."

Joining Mr. Menkhaus, an expert in the Horn of Africa and former political advisor to the UN Operation in Somalia, on the panel were Chris Albin-Lackey, Senior Researcher in the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, and Howard Wolpe, Director of Africa Programs at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., where the panel discussion took place.

Read the report here

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About the ENOUGH Project – ENOUGH is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. With an initial focus on the crises in Darfur, Chad, eastern Congo, and northern Uganda, ENOUGH’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. ENOUGH works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more about ENOUGH and what you can do to help, go to www.enoughproject.org.