Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, War and Hope in a Shatte red State
Mary Harper (Buug ku saabsan soomaaliya oo ay qortay Mary Harper oo
ah BBC Africa Editor

Getting Somalia Wrong?
Faith, War and Hope in a Shattered State
Mary Harper
Somalia is a failed state, representing a threat to itself, its
neighbours and the wider world. In recent years, it has become
notorious for the piracy off its coast and the rise of Islamic
extremism, opening it up as a new 'southern front' in the war on
terror. At least that is how it is inevitably portrayed by
politicians and in the media.
In Getting Somalia Wrong? Mary
Harper presents the first comprehensive account of the chaos into
which the country has descended and the United States' renewed
involvement there. In doing so, Harper argues that viewing Somalia
through the prism of al-Qaeda risks further destabilizing the
country and the entire Horn of Africa, while also showing that
though the country may be a failed state, it is far from being a
failed society. In reality, alternative forms of business, justice,
education and local politics have survived and even flourished.
Provocative in its analysis, Harper shows that until the
international community starts to 'get it right' the consequences
will be devastating, not just for Somalia, but for the world.
Reviews
'The most accessible and accurate account available of the
contemporary Somali world - pirates and all.' - Iaon Lewis, author
of Understanding Somalia and Somaliland
'Somalia is one of the most
neglected and misunderstood casualties of the war on terror. If you
want to understand more, this is your book: succinct, perceptive,
judicious, it traces a compelling narrative which brings vividly to
life an extraordinary country and its turbulent history. Its scope
is wide, ensuring that there are many questions here relevant to
places far beyond Somalia: issues of how a people and culture adapt
to the challenges of globalisation with ingenuity, as well as how
they suffer from its impact; of how Western interventions pursue
their own agenda. This was a book which urgently needed writing.' -
Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
'Mary Harper's informed, perceptive and empathetic book on Somalia
could not be coming out at a more apt time. A work that demonstrates
the importance of engaged but impartial journalism and clear,
uncluttered thought and writing it should make a big impact on the
understanding of what is happening in Somalia and why.' - Keith
Somerville, lecturer in journalism at Brunel University, BBC World
Service from 1988 to 2005.
'Mary Harper has written a brilliant book that will completely
change the way you look at not just modern Somalia but also much
contemporary journalism. So much reporting today divides the world
beyond Britain into Goodies and Baddies - Mary Harper's book cuts
through that simplistic naivety in a fantastic way. She vividly
shows how the cartoon nightmare vision of Somalia as a failed state
is wrong. It's like being lifted up in a helicopter and looking at
something you thought you knew in a completely new way.' - Adam
Curtis, maker of The Power of Nightmares
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Clan and Country
2. History
3. Islamism
4. A Failed
State?
5. Piracy
6. Somalia and the Outside World
Conclusion
About the Author:
Mary Harper is a BBC journalist specializing in Africa. She has
reported from Somalia since the outbreak of civil war in 1991 and
from other war zones across Africa, including Sudan, Liberia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. She has written for several
publications including The Economist and The Washington Post.
Abdikarim Said Salah.
Journalist Work For
Horn Cable Television,
Geeska Afrika Journal,
Berbera office
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