Sarah Phillips

When less was more: : external assistance and the political settlement in Somaliland

The internationally unrecognized ‘Republic of Somaliland’ presents a case in which the domestic drivers of peace and development may be examined when aid and other forms of international intervention are not significant variables. The relative autonomy of its peace process offers an alternative perspective on post-conflict transitions to that offered in the majority of the literature, which instead problematizes either the perverse outcomes or unintended consequences of international interventions in conflict-affected areas. The purpose of this article is not to establish the salience of Somalilands relative isolation in its ability to achieve peace and relative political order, as this is already documented in the literature. Rather, it explores the ways in which that isolation fostered mutual dependence between powerful political and economic actors for their survival and prosperity. It uses a political settlements framework to probe the implications of this dependence for western statebuilding interventions in post-conflict situations. The findings present a challenge to orthodox assumptions about how states transition out of conflict, particularly that: greater vertical inclusivity necessarily strengthens a political settlement; effective Weberian institutions are a prerequisite of an enduring peace; and that external assistance is usually necessary to end large-scale violence in developing states or to prevent a recurrence of the conflict.

Al-Qaeda and the Struggle for Yemen

Since the attempted bombing of an American passenger jet on Christmas Day 2009 was traced to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen, the Yemeni government has been trying to convince foreign donors that it requires extraordinary financial assistance to stay afloat in the face of the al-Qaeda threat. The West is right to worry about Yemens ability to contain the conflict that is intensifying within its borders and has responded with a set of policy prescriptions aimed at stabilising the regime. This approach, however, may actually aggravate Yemens problems because it seeks to strengthen existing power hierarchies rather than find incentives to make the power elite more responsive to the crisis.

Fragile Politics: Weak States in the Greater Middle East

1. Weak States in the Middle East Mehran Kamrava, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 2. Yemen: Failing State or Failing Politics? Charles Schmitz, Towson University 3. Questioning Failure, Stability, and Risk in Yemen Sarah Phillips, University of Sydney 4. Interventionism and the Fear of Urban Agency in Afghanistan and Iraq Daniel Esser, American University 5. Libya After Qadhafi: Fragmentation, Hybridity, and Informality Frederic Wehrey, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 6. Strong Actor in a Weak State: The Geopolitics of Hizbullah Shoghig Mikaelian, Concordia University; and Bassel F. Salloukh, Lebanese American University 7. Margin and Center in Sudan: On the Historicity of State Weakness Rogaia Abusharaf, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 8. Sudan: A Turbulent Political Marketplace Alex de Waal, Tufts University 9. Women, Work, and the Weak State: A Case Study of Pakistan and Sudan Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar; and Dwaa Osman, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 10. Whither Palestine? Weak State, Failed State, or No State at All? Glenn E. Robinson, Naval Postgraduate School 11. Diasporas and State (Re)building in the MENA Region: Potential and Constraints Laurie Brand, University of Southern California 12. State Capacity and Aid Effectiveness in Weak States in the Greater Middle East Mark McGillivray, Deakin University; Simon Feeny, RMIT University; and Ashton De Silva, RMIT University