Bargaining for the Spoils of War: Somalia’s Failing Path from War to Peace

Abstract

For more than 20 years, Somalia has experienced state failure. Today, radical political Islam and groups such as al-Shabab with links to al-Qaida are gaining ground. The current federal government is failing to provide public goods, such as security, education, and health, to the population it claims to represent. To date, more than a dozen peace negotiations to end this conflict have failed. The objective of this article is to shed light on why past peace processes have failed. The study of the Mbagathi peace process that preceded the United Nations–led Djibouti peace process can help to better understand the current political stalemate and conflict in Somalia. Moreover, some of the challenges of state formation in Somalia will be discussed, including the claim that hidden and vested interests threaten a viable and politically stable state.