Somalia: Anarchy is Order

**Russie1912** · 28-05-2010, 10:22 AM

In comparison with other Eastern African countries Somalia has reached obvious success in many spheres for the last 20 years despite periods of chaos; and the most peculiar is the fact that it has been achieved without any governmental rule in the country.
Each period of chaos and violence in Somalia was caused by an attempt to create a centralized government from outside. The last such attempt took place when the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was created in 2006 under the guidance of Ethiopia and the USA. Fight against TFG made the Islamic Courts Union (Al-Shabaab) stronger. Al-Shabaab managed to create an actual government and seize control of southern provinces and the former capital Mogadishu. In December of 2006 Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia, defeated Al-Shabaab and moved TFG to Mogadishu. TFG has actually no power and is not supported by any substantial part of population. Attacks against soldiers and officials loyal to TFG are happening eventually. It remains unclear, whether TFG manages to control the whole country.
Outbreaks of violence and military crimes took place in Somalia within ten years between the withdrawal of American troops and Ethiopian intervention. However, they can not be even compared to violence of the civil war and General Barre’s dictatorship.
Somalian customary law is based on traditions interpreted and followed by decentralized clan structure. Xeer appeared long before the colonial period and remained valid when Somalia was a colony. After Somalia became independent, the central government made attempts to replace Xeer with state law. However, people in rural regions and borderlands continued to follow the customary law. After the collapse of Somali state the majority returned to traditional law.
Xeer prohibits murder, assaults, burglary, robbery, theft, arson, blackmail, tortures, beating, causing severe injuries (including those due to negligence), rape, kidnapping, causing harm to property. Xeer is mainly focused not on punishments but on compensations for the damage caused.

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Somalia: Anarchy is Order. Part I. | East+West Review Analytics Agency

**Midas** · 28-05-2010, 11:07 AM

Somalia is very interesting from that point of view, and has been used by many libertarians to show that government isn't necessary to achieve success in some areas, although it's not a view I particularly subscribe to; the big problem with drawing any analogies from Somalia is that the whole culture, history and nature of the people there is very different to that in any Western society. I think that the breakdown of law and order and continued clan flighting is very indicative of the way that those in society who are more dominant/domineering/aggressive/ruthless will always prey on those who're less so unless there are very strictly enforced national laws, and those can really only come from a centralised government, however basic it might be.

**angelcountry** · 31-05-2010, 07:12 PM

The somalians in somaliland should be ashamed of themself in view of the fact that, when are they going to solve their bloody war of over some years ?