Becoming Somaliland, by Mark Bradbury. London and Oxford: Progressio/James Currey, 2008; pp. 271. £12.95 (pb). ISBN 9781847013101.
In Becoming Somaliland, Bradbury provides a meticulous background to the emergence of the self-styled, but internationally unrecognised, Republic of Somaliland and what he describes as a state ‘rooted in a popular consciousness and embedded in society rather than imposed from above’ (p. 242). As a part of the defunct Democratic Republic of Somalia, widely considered the foremost example of a failed state, such a remarkable exception to a dismal perception is assuredly worthy of close examination. That so much international effort on Somali state-building continues to adhere to the view that state-formation can be introduced through the templates of Western aid delivery when Somalis in Somaliland have proven themselves so much more successful at the task suggests an unforgivable ignorance of the more positive developments in the Somali territories.
With the collapse of the autocratic regime of Siad Barre at the beginning of 1991, Somaliland declared the restoration of the sovereignty it had momentarily enjoyed in 1960. With that declaration, the territory embarked on a remarkable journey that has encompassed a succession of peace conferences together with popular elections for local government, the presidency and parliament, preceded by a referendum on the adoption of a constitution.
Operating with a miniscule annual budget that has tended to sit within a range of US$20–30 million a year, the state has gradually been able to consolidate its position, while stability has permitted rapid growth in a remittance-fuelled economy. Given the paucity of government resources, exacerbated by the severe restrictions imposed by non-recognition on access to donor aid and concessionary credit through international financial institutions, stability and state consolidation have evidently been enabled largely through popular tolerance rather than imposition on a reluctant populace.
While Somaliland's story is in many ways an encouraging one, it would be dangerous to ignore both context and shortcomings. Indeed, Bradbury brings depth to his review through his demonstrable understanding of the rich social, cultural and political history of the area, as well as his thoughtful examination of the faults and challenges that have marked each of the phases in that process over the past 17 years.
At the time of writing, Somaliland is attempting to complete an ambitious voter registration programme (the first since the run-up to the 1969 election in Somalia, and the first population count of any kind since the 1975 census), and is scheduled to hold a second presidential election at the end of September 2009. Voter registration was briefly suspended when three suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the compounds of the President, the UNDP and the Ethiopian representative. Although not immediately claimed by any group, the bombings were timed to coincide with a smaller attack in the Puntland port city of Bosasso, and seem likely to have been designed to demonstrate the ability of groups opposed to the Ethiopian presence and influence in Somali territories to operate throughout the erstwhile Democratic Republic. This act graphically illustrates the challenge to the nascent democracy afforded by those who oppose Somaliland for political or religious reasons.
A further set of risks arises from internal politics. Fundamental constitutional incongruities remain unaddressed and the Guurti or upper house of Parliament still lacks any agreed system for the appointment or election of members. The government is accused of corruption, the Judiciary remains patently dependent on the Executive, and the House of Representatives struggles to establish itself as a viable balance to presidential power. Faced with immediate and, in some instances, fundamental challenges to the continued institutionalisation of what has been described as a ‘hybrid’ system of democracy combining elements of Somali tradition with the institutions of representative nation-state democracy, Bradbury's book provides a valuable background.
There are times when Bradbury's conclusions seem somewhat timid given the compelling account he provides of progress to date. His equivocation is most evident when he is addressing the contentious issue of Somaliland's quest for international recognition. He rather mildly suggests that ‘… greater diplomatic creativity and international acceptance of alternative formulations of state governance may prove necessary’ (p. 245, italics added), when his preceding argument presents a compelling case for the urgency of such flexibility. While still not willing to commit himself to a more specific set of recommendations, however, two pages later he does betray the depth of his disillusion with the efforts of donors in the political arena when he describes the state-building frameworks of donors as ‘simplistic if not delusional’ (p. 247). Bradbury's long association with Somali issues, and his excellent description of the process of peace- and state-building in Somaliland put him in an ideal position to offer positive suggestions on a more appropriate basis for engagement in the area, and their lack represents the book's primary, if understandable, deficiency.
Nevertheless, Becoming Somaliland provides a well written and carefully researched background to an area that has long received far less attention than it deserves. With international interest in Somalia so transparently focused on the security interests of neighbours and rich nations at the expense of the much more immediate and genuine needs of Somalis, the book introduces a welcome engagement with the people and politics of an area whose rich contemporary (and older) history can provide valuable insights.