Somalia | Council on Foreign Relations

Somaliland

Recognizing Somaliland's Democratic Success

On May 31st, the people of Somaliland went to the polls to participate in long-delayed parliamentary and municipal elections. The largely autonomous region in the north of Somalia, which had a differ…

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin June 8, 2021 Africa in Transition
Somalia

Al-Shabab

Al-Shabab remains capable of carrying out massive attacks in Somalia and surrounding countries despite a long-running African Union offensive against the Islamist terrorist group.

Backgrounder by Claire Felter, Jonathan Masters and Mohammed Aly Sergie May 19, 2021
Coronavirus

India’s COVID-19 Surge, Somalia’s Political Crisis, and More

India struggles with the world’s largest COVID-19 surge, Somalia’s president addresses Parliament after dropping a bid to extend his term, and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan gets underway ten years after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Robert McMahon April 29, 2021 The World Next Week

Somalia

Somalia's Political Crisis Demands Sustained Attention

While international attention has been focused on Ethiopia’s multiple internal and foreign policy crises, the political situation in Somalia has gone from precarious to untenable, further eroding pea…

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin April 14, 2021 Africa in Transition
Wars and Conflict

Nonstate Warfare

Stephen Biddle explains how nonstate military strategies overturn traditional perspectives on warfare.

Book by Stephen Biddle April 6, 2021 National Security and Defense Program
Refugees and Displaced Persons

Beyond the Sand and Sea

From Ty McCormick, winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, an epic and timeless story of a family in search of safety, security, and a place to call home.

Book by Ty McCormick March 30, 2021

Somalia

Somali Stability Depends on More Than Just Counterterrorism

Among the Trump administration's many eleventh hour decisions that will require quick review by President Biden’s team was the choice to withdraw nearly all U.S. military personnel from Somalia. The …

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin January 22, 2021 Africa in Transition
Radicalization and Extremism

From Separatism to Salafism: Militancy on the Swahili Coast

Nolan Quinn is a research associate for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa Program. The revelation that a Kenyan member of al-Shabab was charged with planning a 9/11-style attack on the Unit…

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for John Campbell January 13, 2021 Africa in Transition
Somalia

Diplomatic Progress in Somalia

The re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia, is welcome news to many who have worked on U.S. policy issues in the Horn of Africa for decades. It represents not just a positive step in st…

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin October 3, 2019 Africa in Transition
Somalia

The Controversy Over U.S. Strikes in Somalia

The United States has been helping Somalia fight al-Shabab militants for more than a decade, but rights groups say increasing drone strikes are putting civilians at risk.

In Brief by Claire Felter April 3, 2019
Yemen

Global Conflict This Week: Negotiating a Truce in Yemen

Developments in conflicts across the world that you might have missed this week.

Blog Post by Center for Preventive Action February 8, 2019 Strength Through Peace
Afghanistan

Global Conflict This Week: Elections Delayed in Kandahar Province

Developments in conflicts across the world that you might have missed this week.

Blog Post by Center for Preventive Action October 19, 2018 Strength Through Peace
Women and Women's Rights

Women This Week: Fighting FGM

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering July 23 to August 4, was compiled with support from Lucia Petty.

Blog Post by Rachel B. Vogelstein August 6, 2018 Women Around the World
Syrian Civil War

Global Conflict This Week: Pro-Government Forces Advance in Southwest Syria

Developments in conflicts across the world that you might have missed this week.

Blog Post by Center for Preventive Action July 27, 2018 Strength Through Peace
Somalia

Lessons Learned in Somalia: AMISOM and Contemporary Peace Enforcement

How can the details of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) shed light on the major questions about peace enforcement missions and the international partnerships that underpin them?

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for Strength Through Peace July 19, 2018 Strength Through Peace