Abstract:
In the decade after the 9/11 attacks, failed states have received much attention as being havens for international terrorist groups. This notion due al-Qaeda‟s decision to seek refuge in Afghanistan. The international community has therefore assumed that all failed states will inevitably be exploited by terrorist groups. This view fails to take into account the differences which exist between failed states, but more importantly fails to take into account the complexity of failed states. The situation in Somalia is more complex than Somalia being a lawless area within which international terrorist groups operate as they desire. Instead, this thesis argues that Somalia is not a haven for international terrorism. This is as a result of the two most important aspects of Somali socio-political culture: the Somali clan system and traditional Somali Islam. The Somali clan system is a highly complex arrangement of clans, sub clans and sub-sub clans and is the most important aspect of Somali socio-political culture. In Somalia, generally speaking, clannism trumps all other forms of political identification. From this Somali clan system, two norms have emerged which have affected whether or not Somalia is a haven for terrorism. The first norm is the survivalist tendency of Somali political elites, and the second is the xenophobia which is inherent in the clan system. These two norms have had varying effects on the success of al-Shabaab (the primary radical Islamist group in Somalia). As well as the Somali clan system, traditional Somali Islam has been an important factor in whether or not Somalia is a haven for terrorism. Traditional Somali Islam is subservient to the clan system and less politically active than the radical Islam of al-Shabaab. This thesis examines these two aspects in relation to al-Shabaab, using three examples of foreign intervention to show that al-Shabaab has been unsuccessful in attempting to turn Somalia into an Islamist state, which would make Somalia a haven for international terrorism. Al-Shabaab may have been unsuccessful, but it remains a highly dangerous group for Somalia and the engagement of the international community is necessary to deal with al-Shabaab once and for all.